Admin Mode
by stoppedflyer
Summary: Once a server admin for Yggdrasil, Tanabe Takahashi finds himself as a spectator to the exploits of Ainz Ooal Gown. With the events of the anime unfolding in front of him, Tanabe ends up a little attached to Shalltear and starts "intervening". Now the entire timeline is thrown into chaos. (There's also a temporary genderbend that doesn't last. )
1. Admin

You know the deal, I don't own Overlord or any of the characters except the OC being used. Here's to hoping he doesn't end up being too overpowered.

Please enjoy

* * *

"Ah, the number decreased again...Only a few left now, hm?"

A sad tone broke the silence surrounding what appeared to be an empty hill overlooking a fortress city. A large man clad in bright red armor had made this predictable and cliche location to be his final resting place...Well that was a bit dramatic for a video game but the feelings that statement carried felt all the same for him.

It was a sad day, the last in operation for the DMMO-RPG known as Yggdrasil, a game that in it's prime set the online gaming world ablaze with it's intuitive gameplay aspects and wide range of freedom. For those who dedicated large amounts of time and effort out of their lives to explore all the game had to offer the declaration of it's impending shutdown had cut deep. Twelve long years of dedication were about to disappear forever, and for the individual currently monitoring the number of players steadily dropping before his eyes he could only see the entire scenario as a void that likely wouldn't be filled anytime soon.

Tanabe Takahashi, a man in his late twenties whose life had consisted of playing video games or otherwise staring at a computer screen for at least twelve hours a day found himself as one of the few remaining players logged onto the dying game.

The man himself wasn't the most interesting of people, in fact he was quite the opposite, but not because he didn't have much personality, it was more like no one really wanted to know him any better than they already did. He was the disagreeable sort, stuck-up, judgmental, and he never hesitated to get involved in problems that weren't his concern. The kind of person who hated to be wrong and very much enjoyed the justification he received when he was right. A textbook "smartass" as most would call him, a big reason why he didn't have many friends, though that fact didn't bother him at all.

With all that said, why was a man like this spending his time playing games like a middle schooler on a saturday night? The answer was simple really: The traits he exhibited, namely his aptitude for playing judge, jury and executioner with the people he encountered made him a surprisingly good candidate for administration.

As unlikely as it seemed, Takahashi Tanabe had landed himself a job as a server admin for one of the most popular role-playing games in the past decade, and it fit him perfectly. With no more than a few hours of sleep each night, he managed his responsibilities almost flawlessly, keeping order and making sure every rule in the player guidelines was enforced without exception. Because of his position and because he was almost always the one in the right he pretty much had all the justification he needed to be himself and do as he pleased with those reckless enough to find themselves under his ire, earning him the nickname "Gatekeeper of Hell" by both his colleagues and fellow players.

His character was the personification of that very being. A large intimidating monster of a man with plates of red metal covering every inch of his body, leaving only his bright orange eyes visible in the visor to his helmet. In his right hand was a massive great axe, the perfect weapon for chopping down those he found guilty of tampering with the game files, using any kind of third party program or whatever other offense was deserving of being struck by the almost literal ban hammer.

Yes, to wield such power for himself was a dream come true. But alas that dream was coming to an end. With Yggdrasil gone he would likely have to begin concentrating his efforts on whatever new project was in store to replace it, one that may or may not grant him the same position of authority he had in Yggdrasil. It was a sad thing to think about. Sure, there were hundreds of others like him who worked on the game almost tirelessly but they'd already taken off along with ninety five percent of the active player base. And so it was up to him to make sure no last minute trolls would have the game go out on a bad note, not even in the last few minutes it would have, well no one except him anyway.

Even if it was only for a little while, Tanabe or "NemomeN", as his avatar was named found himself staring into the sky in deep thought as he watched the player count for the server shrink more and more with each passing second, knowing that there was nothing to be done to stop it.

"To think all these so called fans won't even see the game through all the way to its end…"He spoke again to no one in particular, not having noticed that those who'd sat around him were long since gone.

He had hoped to at least get one more chance at handling a reckless fool who decided to do as they pleased with the games final moments but that hope was now gone, all that was left was to log off at midnight and go to bed.

10 seconds until the shutdown.

He sat down and waited.

7 seconds remaining.

"I'm probably the only one who seriously thought to stay for the last day, how disappointing…"

3 seconds remaining.

He counted down in his head

1 second remaining

"Wished it could have lasted just a little while longer..."

* * *

00:00:01

Huh?

His eyes snapped open but...Everything was blank.

For a moment he froze, unsure of what to think. Then he took a look down at himself. He was still wearing the same armor.

"Is this the end of the...Game?" His voice echoed outward, no ears to fall on but his own.

He scanned his environment. Nothing in sight, just a gray canvas. Not only that, the HUD was essentially gone, leaving him in seemingly real first person experience.

He stood up and moved his body, unfamiliar with the sudden weight he was feeling, actually feeling anything at all was kind of weird. He took a step forward and nearly panicked when he heard the resounding thud from his footfall.

Looking down he stepped again, taking note of the sound, then he stomped harder, making a loud boom.

"Uh..."

The sound was terrifying, and the weight of his own leg even more so. It was as if he could suddenly feel the very armor he was wearing.

He tried to open a menu, to message another GM, but was met with failure. With no other options coming to mind he closed his eyes for a moment to think. "A system failure? Or maybe the game crashed?" But those theories didn't seem right, if the game had broken in some way then he should have been logged out immediately and yet here he was, in the same armor and with the same ominous voice he used to judge other players so harshly.

His confusion was matched only by curiosity. If he was still within the game then he must have found himself in a precarious position due to a failure that came from the server shutdown. His current whereabouts were clearly an unrefined space outside of the map. But that would mean the game was still running somehow, that he somehow managed to remain inside the system despite the shutdown, that was the only explanation that he could come up with on the spot.

Slowly he checked the rest of his equipment: Weapon? Check. Skills? A spinning slash proved that function to still be in effect as well.

accessories...?

He looked to his left hand and inspected the ring on the index finger. The one accessory he kept on consistently was the Gamemaster's Ring, the only in-game physical evidence of one's status as an administrator aside from a small title beside his username. The ring was an unobtainable item, reserved only for those of his position, one that basically made him into a walking god among men. When equipped many basic game rules stopped applying, to the point that a warrior like himself could cast a few high tier spells, teleport, tamper with the nature of items or other players, and even fly across the map without much effort. Much like a world item it was obviously too powerful to be used without good reason and thus could only very rarely be activated. He already missed the immediate fear and respect he gained whenever he would show up in person to tend to his duties as a server admin. If the ring still functioned correctly then it should have made it easy to return to the map.

"Enhanced Recall." He voiced the command of returning to home, expecting an immediate shift in scenery.

Nothing happened.

"That didn't work...Then, Mirror of Remote Viewing!"

The meter tall floating device popped into reality in front of Tanabe, an honest surprise to him.

"Hmmm, how do I- ah there we are." With a bit of fiddling he was able to orient himself and scope out the land...Unfamiliar land.

"People? Villagers, And that village...Wait, where is that exactly?" His voice slowly went from intrigued to outright confused.

Getting a view of the landscape through this mirror had raised even more questions than before. Not only were there functioning NPCs but there was also a village he had never seen before along with a landscape very different from what he was used to. He should have been in a fortress city located at the base of a mountain but instead there were plains and trees and villages and people and...His head began to hurt, the game was clearly still running despite the deadline and the one place he could see thus far was unfamiliar to him.

Again he took a look around at the space before him. Emptiness. A gray background with no foreseeable end and a white floor that echoed his footsteps as he walked upon it. This was definitely someplace out of the map, perhaps above the skybox? He didn't have much of a lead to go on, and his current plans to get out of there were slipping rapidly.

He could not use the ring to teleport to a place he didn't know the location of and he surely wasn't about to try and risk sending himself into yet another unknown plane of existence. Slowly his confusion became frustration.

"You had one job guys, how did you manage to botch shutting down the game? Is there not an off button? Open task manager and kill program or something!" And his rant was nothing more than nerd rage.

If his avatar was stuck and he couldn't log out then next would be trying to contact other players, after all when he'd closed his eyes before the "shutdown" the number of available players may have been exceedingly low but it wasn't zero, which meant a few others probably also got stuck in the same situation as him. What a horrible way to send the game off.

Shaking his head at the the thought of others messing up this badly he once again looked to his mirror and began searching the land for familiar landmarks. Nothing, nothing he saw stood out to him at all. He was stuck sitting in spectator mode and had no clue what he was watching over. "Contact a random then?" It was a stretch but if others were as stuck as he was then it only made sense for him to check and so he attempted to use「Message」on an adventurer who seemed enough like a new player for him to believe it might not be an NPC. To his dismay the result of such a risky tactic was the confusion and ensuing panic of the poor rookie adventurer.

"Is that in my head? Who said that? Show yourself!" The adventurer yelled, not sure as to who had spoken to him.

"Uh, what?" And of course the human-like response caught the admin completely off guard.

The NPC spoke. He spoke of his own volition in a seemingly dynamic manner.

"You can talk? Like, talk normally? You can understand what I'm saying?" The warrior spoke quickly, to him things were getting far too weird.

"Yes, I can! Who are you!?"

For a moment Tanabe froze up. This was not a player, but to call it an NPC when it could think and act in such a manner was not right either. This was not a game, it had to be a dream then, there was no possible way that this could be real.

"Hello?" The young adventurer called out again in his silence.

Tanabe shook his head and stared on for a bit longer before dispelling the message spell completely, leaving his victim clueless. There were real living people...Was people the right word? He didn't even know at this point, but this little bit of information was more than enough to open his eyes to the reality of his situation. The results of this experiment should have terrified him, but realizing that living, sentient people were somehow walking around in what should have been a dead world blew his mind.

Then a scary thought invaded his mind.

Without another word he picked up his great axe and examined it carefully. Then he swung it a few times, he wasn't imagining things now, nor trying to come up with an excuse for any oddities he was experiencing. He could truly feel the weight behind his swings and hear the sound of the weapon cutting through the air.

Then he sat in silence again before removing his his helmet and taking a look at it next. If this were a dream then it was too good to be true, his senses were not only intact, they were working better than he could remember.

It took more than a few minutes of silent processing before his mind truly caught up to everything he was experiencing.

"I'm not religious but whatever God heard my wish..." He stopped talking there, too excited to even think of anything other than what he wanted to do first.

Before that though another idea came to mind. He quickly turned back to the mirror he summoned and scoped out the environment for another person to run tests on. Information gathering was not very easy to do in such a roundabout way but with a bit of practice the mirror was not so difficult to use and new people could be found, he needed to be absolutely sure that this wasn't just some crazy coincidence, that the "NPC" were truly capable of responding like normal people.

An hour passed very quickly for a nerd who'd come to terms with figuring out he was in an isekai situation.

Honestly for him this was thrilling, absolutely thrilling. What was once a horrible day had become a miracle among miracles, something he could have never in his wildest dreams expect to happen. He could already see what would happen should he mess around a little too much, but he had no reason to let this opportunity go to waste. If this were a dream, hallucination or anything similar then he wanted to enjoy it while it lasted before he woke up.

Now only one issue stood in his way: Figuring out where he was, and how to get to the new world that awaited him.

"What should I do then? If I could escape this room then-" He spoke up for a second but stopped when another voice cut in.

"Huh? The GM call function isn't working."

What was that? Another voice? And louder than the rest. The admin immediately began searching tirelessly for the source with his mirror.

"What's wrong Lord Momonga?" said another voice, this one female.

The voices he heard in his head were concerning to say the least, but it was a sign of something significant. Whatever just spoke seemed to know of GM calls, meaning that this person must have been in Yggdrasil beforehand. The terrifying thought of others winding up in the same situation as him suddenly got far worse. As if the world of possibilities that had just collapsed on him wasn't enough already.

Tanabe looked back to his mirror and began his search, it took a bit of time but he finally came upon what seemed to be a dungeon. No, to be specific it was a tomb and not just any tomb, any serious Yggdrasil player would have been able to identify the place immediately and Tanabe was no exception.

The Great Tomb of Nazarick. The dungeon belonging to one of the top 10 guilds in all of Yggdrasil, Ainz Ooal Gown. It was there and there was no mistaking that the voices he was hearing came from there as well. He began to try getting his mirror to work inside the walls of the tomb. Of course under regular circumstances, the mirror would not be able to see inside any structure, let alone a multi-layered dungeon of death but he had a nifty little cheat item at his disposal.

"Best I don't start relying on this thing too much, lest I become dependent on it." The admin spoke at a whisper, not wanting his voice to carry through the medium he was using like a television screen.

With a little flash, he used the Gamemaster's Ring to alter his Mirror of Remote Viewing, just enough to get it to look a further than just beyond a few walls.

And what he saw, what he saw was truly a sight to behold. This was unlike anything he would have ever thought to witness in this world, a sight most would not believe. What he saw was…

A skeleton groping his female attendant.

And thus Tanabe, began to witness the exploits of Ainz Ooal Gown first hand.

To be continued…If you want it to

* * *

This is actually a rewrite of a story I was already writing, I'm hoping it turn out a bit better now.


	2. God?

Thanks for all the support, most of the things Tanabe does are just exaggerated admin powers inspired by real MMOs. Also I'm impatient so let's speed things up a bit

Remember that I do not own Overlord or any of the characters except the cheating admin

Please Enjoy

Tanabe Takahashi was a strange man to say the least. Right now any normal person might have attempted to contact the one other person who could relate to their current situation but Tanabe was never good with social interaction and instead decided to do what he did best and judge the actions of someone else, namely Ainz Ooal Gown and his "test" to confirm Albedo's tangibility.

Other than him the only other entities worth paying attention to at the moment were his floor guardians, butler and battle maids, leaving few options for Tanabe's subjective rants. If it wasn't Ainz's questionable decisions then it was getting Aura and Mare confused due to their clothing and behavior, Sebas' name literally being the name "Sebastian" cut in half or that Demiurge seemed like the most untrustworthy character in video game history. Honestly, the way he spoke and his apparent knowledge just made him ripe for betrayal.

But the one guardian he took the most interest in was the true vampire Shalltear Bloodfallen. This interest was not one of the romantic sort, or at least it shouldn't have been. This interest was due to her very character, one that stood out even among the guardians of Nazarick. For the most part the guardians of Nazarick were a bunch of oddballs anyway with there being a succubus, a popsicle bug, trap siblings and a sly demon in a suit which was all well and dandy but the amount of complaints that built up inside of Tanabe when considering Shalltear in particular drove him to spend excess time in observing her.

She was different in a way he could not describe, like a certain part of her was a false panel hiding the truth.

No he didn't mean her chest, that should be cleared up now before everyone starts to think he wants to investigate the secrets of padding.

No, there was a quality about her he just couldn't leave alone. She was just...Far too straightforward. It was as if the only real personality she had was that of a perverted deviant, but there was more to her than that, he just didn't know what it was. She was the creation of Peroroncino so a highly perverted personality was to be expected but being the intolerant rule enforcer that he was meant that his curiosity could not be helped. He could just see Peroroncino now, trying to discuss his experiences with a new piece of filth he purchased online. The very thought made him shudder.

He wanted nothing more than to sit Shalltear in a chair and question her until he could uncover just what that "something" was, the problem being that if she really were just a copy of Peroroncino then his actions could be seen as nothing more than harassment for his own desires, that and he still didn't know how to escape the white plane he inhabited let alone bring someone to him. Well that was just his opinion anyway, if anything he was no better for giving her extra attention because of it. For now he would just cope with it and try to enjoy what he could without getting too attached to the issue.

Luckily for the most part it seemed as though Ainz was a bit too preoccupied with playing hero for there to be anything involving that vampire to occur. With the help of a spell he was able to play the part of a larger than life warrior who with the help of his beloved partner went on to tame a giant hamster, slay an army of undead and defeat the old man and annoying orange responsible. The story of a true hero, or in Tanabe's opinion a kid having fun in his new sandbox.

Thinking that this pattern would continue forever made Tanabe sluggish, rather than trying to escape his confinement he could just lay on his side and watch the mirror like a television screen. With nothing better to do it seemed like an optimal choice, however this did not last as long as he'd expected. He couldn't just sit back and watch anymore because Shalltear just so happened to come up again for a night on the countryside.

More specifically she got into a fight. Well "fight" was not the correct term. A fight would imply that both parties stood a chance at retaliation, but this was not even mercenaries never stood a chance, and the only one who seemed to be combat capable was losing horribly. The seaweed head Brain Unglaus couldn't even land a hit, and with his confidence looking as though it would shatter Tanabe couldn't help but feel bad for the guy. It was the kind of emotion he often saw on the faces of the poor punks who got a bit too carried away in Yggdrasil.

"Hm, if he's gonna die anyway I might as well…"

In situations regarding bugged equipment or glitched avatars it was not uncommon for an employee to take over another player's avatar for a short time to investigate the issue, and as you might have guessed already Tanabe was wondering whether or not such an ability would be functional in this new world. As luck would have it, this concept was not improbable.

Rather than completely taking over a target, it was more like a very unstable possession. Similar to mind control it was possible to impose his influence onto another sentient being as long as two conditions were met. Conditions he'd tested thoroughly on both people and animals to be safe. The first was that the target was something capable of falling under effects similar to mind control, meaning undead had a bit of a free pass. The second condition was the consent of the target in question. Obviously that second condition made things far more difficult than they needed to be, but he should have known that such a game-breaking ability would not be so easily implemented into this world. Fortunately Brain was on the verge of a mental collapse so...The negotiations were quick.

"Er halt, um wow...That's what I sound like in this body?"

Shalltear stopped for a moment to stare awkwardly at the man in front of her. She was sure that he was about to run for his life, allowing her to delight in hunting him down with her Blood Frenzy but now he had turned to fight once more?

"Yes, it is I, Brain and I- You know what? No, I don't need to waste these precious few minutes trying to act."

Feeling no need to pretend and waste the limited time he had in control, Tanabe found his moment to vent his frustration, and that he did. What was a show without critics? If he was the only viewer then he would make damn sure his review would get through even if he could not come by in person.

Unfortunately, a defeated man with shattered confidence suddenly marching up to her to yell about concepts she couldn't possibly understand without context left Shalltear in a state of utter confusion. In fact, from the look of things it were as if she was the one suddenly losing the battle. The only thing she could take away from his statements were his comments on "perverted skeletons" and "fake breasts", the latter of which caused her to suddenly retaliate with her own aggressive statements leading to a shouting match between the two.

"Well if everyone knows they're fake then why don't you stop pretending?"

"How is my chest any of your concern, human!?"

With that, things turned a bit awkward. Tanabe had gotten caught up in the heat of the moment and completely forgot about the current situation. From Shalltear's perspective she was still talking to the overconfident swordsman from before, with no knowledge of what was really happening.

"I think I made a mistake…"

"You think!?"

Yeah, she was pissed off now too and there was no way he could stand up to her using Brain, the difference in power from levels alone was too great. Taking a deep breath and a moment to gather his thoughts he opted to try explaining the situation as best he could, but this conversation was already unsalvageable. Tanabe felt quite a bit of shame for the situation he found himself in, losing his composure and throwing his thoughts out in such a childish manner was unlike him, but then again was anything happening here normal?

"Fine, we'll continue this conversation a little later-"

"You think you're getting away?"

Of course Shalltear had no intent on letting this man escape after all he had said but Tanabe's selfish intervention had set a strange event in motion. Because Brain had never run away, his mercenary group had not yet encountered Shalltear and the few survivors of her initial onslaught were shaken up enough that they then opted to escape rather than wait for her to show up. The group of adventurers patrolling the area ran into said men and well….

"I...I have made a really big mistake…"

Tanabe didn't know what exactly was going on as he ran for his life or rather the life of his friendly host, but he did know that it was somehow his fault. His intervention was supposed to be nothing but an opportunity to vent his frustration, but now...Now something beyond his current control was in effect, his only hope was to avoid any fights that he could and get as far away from this cave as possible, surely Shalltear could handle a crew of bandits and a couple iron plates. If only life were so forgiving.

In a totally unexpected turn of events, the ensuing commotion from the three way fight that broke out drew the attention of the passing Black Scripture group. At least Brain would get away unharmed…

Tanabe had his hands clasped over his mouth as he watched from his spectator seat. This was not okay. In fact, his angry little rant just caused one of the most disastrous outcomes possible, and it was his fault. He made a mistake, he never made mistakes but as he watched the catastrophe unfold he felt a bitterness in his heart that he could only describe as failure. He had to fix his, the fallout of his baby raging was not something that could be ignored, but what could he do? Letting them finish their fight could be a dangerous wager, but so was getting any more involved than he had already.

While Tanabe had his internal monologue, Shalltear found herself caught between several groups with little options other than to fight. If she used 「Gate」to escape then her mission would have essentially been a failure, but if she stayed and fought then her orders to stay hidden may have been compromised should the humans become afraid and scatter. She could still use her Blood Pool to activate Blood Frenzy but just how worth it would it be? Predicaments like this were exactly why strategy was never left to her, not having a plan for outcomes like this was a real pain and restraining herself from outright slaughtering everyone here was difficult enough as is.

Correcting a mistake this massive was just about impossible, in fact the conflict was unavoidable, Shalltear would slaughter everyone in sight without fail and there was nothing that could stop her. Nothing but a convenient world item that a certain individual was in possession of, an item that would be a hundred percent effective even on an undead like Shalltear.

The news would spread differently than it should have this day, the news of an incredibly powerful vampire with far more witnesses than before, the news of the Black Scripture appearing inside the Kingdom's territory and worst of all the news of Shalltear's rebellion. Tanabe was the cause of these unnatural changes, he would unintentionally knock down a house of cards that could potentially send the world into chaos. And it was all because he committed an internet troll's worth of flaming.

He looked to his ring, knowing that it was too late to go back to being a bystander, he could not fix his mistakes, things would only get more chaotic from here.

I think the plot is progressing too quickly but I'm not a fan of slow starts, sorry about that…

Let me know what you think


	3. Mind Control

Thanks for the support

Remember that I do not own overlord or any of the characters besides the cheating admin

Please Enjoy

It did not take long for Ainz Ooal Gown to take action after hearing of Shalltear's "rebellion, and even less time for him to immediately take action and realize the effects of mind control must have been due to the presence of a world item.

Seeing the trouble he caused, Tanabe thought it best to allow Ainz the opportunity to try his hand at solving the implications of dealing with a world item's effects. World items in Yggdrasil were the definition of overpowered. The effects could ignore the initial balance of the game in order to perform otherwise impossible tasks. The one used on Shalltear for instance was known as _Downfall of Castle and Country_ , which allowed the user to mind control anyone, even those with mental resistances. This meant that although Shalltear was able to land a fatal blow to the user of the item, she was still unable to resist it's effects, leaving her in her current state.

Tanabe knew very well that the guild Ainz Ooal Gown was in possession of a multitude of world items, and with that knowledge he assumed they would have something to cancel out the effects of the mind control. Instead Ainz came to the conclusion that he would have to kill Shalltear in order to settle his mind and take responsibility for his mistake of sending her out to begin with.

"What do you mean kill!?" Tanabe almost lost it at that moment.

How could that have been the only answer Ainz could come up with? Tanabe may not have particularly liked Shalltear all that much but his interest would lead to her getting killed!? As if the guilt wasn't soul crushing enough already, there was now the thought of causing the unnecessary death of someone else, and he had little time to try and stop it.

The fact that Shalltear was under a mind controlled state meant that even with her mental resistances there was a chance he possess her for a short while, but that was just a chance. Even if he were successful, there was no way to predict exactly what would happen to him. The ability to possess someone else for a short time essentially put the victim in a subconscious state, and so even when Tanabe was in control he could still hear the thoughts of the other person. In Shalltear's case the problem was determining what exactly trying to possess her would do to the both of them.

Implanting your own conscious into someone else was a very dangerous game. Normally if his target began to reject his influence then he would be forcibly ejected, but he didn't have the slightest idea what would happen to someone who was already in that state of mind. In the worst case scenario, he could easily imagine getting stuck in her subconscious unable to return to his own body, It's not hard to imagine what would happen to him if Ainz were successful in killing Shalltear while he was still in her head.

What he was hoping for was his possession overriding the mind control therefore ridding her of both conditions once he left, after that he could just leave the confusion and distrust for them to deal with and his hands would be a bit cleaner. There was no time to debate this in his head, he would have to take the chance, if things seemed shaky then he would just run as soon as he could.

Taking a deep breath, he took the dive.

For a moment he rejoiced, the scenery was no longer empty, in fact he could clearly understand where he was. This was the same clearing Shalltear was currently standing in. Panicking and looking down immediately Tanabe was pleasantly surprised to see that he hadn't become a girl in a dress, rather that very girl was standing quite a bit away from him with her head held a bit low and her eyes blank.

"So the effects of the possession really were incomplete after all…"

While it appeared as though Tanabe had finally escaped the white room he'd been trapped in for months now, a quick glance at the sky told him otherwise. There was no sky, rather than a blue atmosphere filled with clouds there was a simply a blank white sky similar to his room, meaning that this landscape was likely a part of Shalltear's subconscious. It made sense, after all this was the last thing she saw before the mind control completely went through.

"The sky is the same as...Wait is my body back in that room really me physically?"

He'd never really considered the possibility before, but after coming here it began to make a bit more sense. It was odd before to consider that he was nonchalantly existing in a realm outside of realms, but he chalked it up to having been an admin in Yggdrasil. With this bit of knowledge he could now conclude that the reason behind him existing in that world was not just because of his previous status, in fact it would explain why he was capable of just hopping into someone's head like this. He had experiments to try once this was all over.

Tanabe carefully made his way towards the incapacitated true vampire and let out an exasperated sigh. This turn of events wasn't something he could have planned for and improvising very clearly wasn't a strength of his. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he considered if it were even possible to break the mind control from this position. The most he could think to do might be to attack her-

There was a slight shift in movement. He looked down. She was staring up at him.

Like a startled kitten, Tanabe went jumping backwards through the air almost immediately. Given the size of his avatar, that one jump easily cleared seven meters worth of distance.

"Who the hell…"

Shalltear started to talk but was clearly having difficulty moving, as if her limbs were frozen. As she struggled to do anything more than move her head, Tanabe was simply getting over the jumpscare he'd just experienced. How could physical contact have been enough to restore her senses? If the mind control was truly thorough then she should have been unable to wake up without having taken damage first.

He looked to his hand and the glowing ring knowing that it must have had something to do with the current situation. Wait, wasn't this a good thing? If Shalltear was coherent enough to talk but not enough to wake up from her mind control then there was a chance the two of them could have a bit of conversation before it was too late.

"So you are awake? Now we can continue our conversation from before."

"You? That human from before?"

"Not quite..."

He had to be careful, explaining himself would be difficult considering he was only just beginning to understand the situation he'd been caught in since coming to this world. If there was a chance for him to get anywhere in this conversation he would need to keep his cool and make sure he stayed in control.

"I don't know what you've done to my body but you're going to regret it."

"Oh am I? Unfortunately you are at my mercy, so I suggest you listen carefully if you want to return to your king without being labeled a traitor."

Shalltear stopped struggling for a moment as if she was only now realizing what had happened to her before. Yes, this was perfect. For the first time since coming to this world Tanabe felt in control. Due to his interference Shalltear still seemed to have some memory of what happened to her before now and with no way to defend herself she had no choice but to shut up and hear him out.

"Right then, I trust you understand your situation even better than I hoped so I won't waste any unnecessary time. I'm going to attempt to free you from your mind control, if we're lucky then there will be no adverse side effects and you can continue on with your life."

It was a simple proposal but Shalltear didn't seem to be convinced. Tanabe understood very well that withholding information such as who he was and why he could possibly want to help her would be a bit of a burden but how else could he get out of this without her telling the others everything she saw?

"If you cooperate and move on without causing any trouble for me, I can guarantee your safety from an event such as this in the future."

He took a jab at getting her to simply comply but she seemed to be even more worried. Shalltear knew that her options were limited but the situation was too grim to be accepted without doubts.

"I know that you are concerned, but I have no ill intentions towards you, I only wish to help."

"And why is that? I don't know who you are, why would you be trying to help me?"

That was a hard question to answer. If he were to give an honest answer then all he could tell her was that the current events could be considered to be his fault, and if not that then the answer would be that he didn't want his only source of entertainment to be ruined. Both options were distasteful and would only make her ask more questions, the only way to make her stop would be to either convince her of his good intentions or...

"Yes you are correct, you should not know me. By your understanding I would be something of a god."

"A god? No, I only believe in one god."

Jeez she was stubborn, not that he wasn't expecting that. She was completely and utterly loyal to Ainz, but he didn't need her loyalty he just needed to scare her enough to keep her quiet.

"Indeed, but that matters little to me. If you will not cooperate then I could simply leave you to betray your god and prevent him from reviving you."

"...You can't do that."

"Can't I? Here I am conversing with you while you sit under the effects of a world item and you think I can't retain your soul?"

Of course this was a bluff, he wasn't even sure if the concept of souls and afterlife applied here but he needed to sound like a god if he wanted her to believe him. With crossed arms he stood tall and let a despairing aura overtake him, an aura similar to the one Ainz gave off towards his guardians in the past. The act worked in his favor, Shalltear seemed genuinely afraid of the consequences of her actions and gave in.

 _Maybe I should have taken a job in acting._ He considered the thought carefully but found no real profit in doing so, especially since he was stuck in this world now.

"Good, then I will undo your mind control."

"...What are you going to take from me in return?"

He opened his mouth to say that he would not want anything but paused for a moment instead. First of all he was not confident at all that he could completely undo her mind control to begin with, and if he could it would be strange for him to simply do it out of the goodness of his heart after having intimidated her the way he did. But what could he possibly want from her in return? He decided to keep playing a god a little longer.

"In return I'll have you periodically report to me for matters concerning the world below as well as carry out a few small tasks now and again, nothing that will heavily interfere with your life, easy enough?"

"You can't see what's going on for yourself?"

It would have been odd for a god to have limited vision, however Shalltear did not realize the true purpose of this transaction was an excuse to prod at her thoughts and possibly discover more about her character so Tanabe could judge her properly. As an added perk having someone who could physically perform tasks would greatly increase his ability to interact with the world with the only drawback being that Shalltear had a conscious of her own.

"Even if I am a god, it is impossible to control every little thing that goes on in the world, that should be self evident by the fact that your king glossed over the existence of world items before sending a valuable subordinate out with little support."

She seemed upset to hear him berate Ainz's plans but it didn't bother Tanabe. His eyes were fixed firmly on the goal ahead of him. If he could enlist Shalltear's assistance in his newly laid out plans without giving away knowledge of his existence to the rest of Nazarick, everything would be much easier.

"Fine...I understand."

"Good, I'll also have you keep your lips sealed about this, your colleagues may not take my interference very lightly."

He put his hand to her head and concentrated on his ring. Removing a status effect was easy, removing a world item effect was slightly less so, luckily since the user was dead or at least incapacitated there was no outside force keeping the mind control in full force.

It took a little while, like trying to open a master level lock with no lockpicking skills. It took many tries but he had to get lucky eventually and when he did he found himself sitting in front of his mirror once more.

"I hope I didn't just botch that…"

His efforts were not in vain, Shalltear had awoken from her mind control and not a second too soon.

"Shalltear?"

"L-Lord Ainz!"

Almost immediately she was bowing before her supreme one, who was just about to try and blast her with the super tier spell 「Fallen Down」, but now he was just confused. The mind control had worn off? Or more specifically it appeared to have been broken somehow, something that should have been impossible considering a world item is what caused the effect.

"Shalltear, have you been released from your mind control?"

"Yes, Lord Ainz, I believe the user has died."

"User? Then that means a world item must have been used after all."

Ainz was more than happy to have Shalltear back without having to take this fight but he wasn't an idiot, the timing of her freedom was too convenient, and her excuse wasn't very believable. As much as he disliked the idea he would have to restrain and then question her heavily.

"Let us return to Nazarick at once then."

"Yes, Lord Ainz."

Tanabe was grinning to himself in the most smug of manners, this was an outstanding success, one that would set him along the disastrous path he'd made for not just himself but now Shalltear as well.

As Tanabe completed his mission and prevented the death of Shalltear the news of the conflict between mercenaries, a few average adventurers, an obscenely powerful vampire and the Black Scripture who'd unlawfully come into the kingdom's territory spread like wildfire. Now international conflict was at an all time high, the slightest mishap could have started a war no one was prepared for.

This chapter was a bit longer than usual, hope it turned out alright.


	4. Close Call

Thanks for the reviews, don't be afraid to give interesting ideas, Tanabe is a clumsy idiot after all

Please Enjoy

The supreme overlord of Nazarick often handled all of his problems in the most efficient, image preserving way possible but today he hit a bump in the road. After recovering Shalltear it was necessary to begin questioning her immediately in order to understand what events led to her being mind controlled, this task however turned out to be even more difficult than he'd imagined.

Shalltear's story was fragmented, as if the mind control had taken out chunks of her memory from the night in question. Honestly that wouldn't be so hard to believe if the spaces in her explanations were bigger or if she could not remember anything at all, but she seemed to know everything that had happened with holes poked into convenient places, specifically in interactions with someone else.

"It seems likely that Shalltear's memory was either forcibly altered or…"

Albedo stopped there, knowing that she need not finish that statement. If her memory was not altered then there was a high chance that Shalltear was purposely hiding information from the rest of them.

 _But why?_ Ainz had mulled the question over in his head dozens of times now. Since his arrival in this world he'd been wary of his subordinates betraying him, but this situation was particularly unusual. If Shalltear had been planning to betray him then it wouldn't make sense for her to have been placed under mind control by potential collaborators, not to mention the fact that she still seemed to be both loyal to him and attracted to him just as much as before. Was it an act? No it was not an act, then…

"She is protecting me then?"

Albedo looked to Ainz with a bit of a worried expression. The only good thing that should have come out of Shalltear's failed mission was her falling behind in the race for Ainz's affection, but now Ainz was considering the possibility of Shalltear risking herself for his sake. This was horrible, if Shalltear truly were sacrificing herself for the supreme one's benefit then she would definitely be seen in a brighter light than Albedo.

"I am worried for her mental state."

"Why? Are there still signs of brainwashing?"

"No, that's not it. The problem is that she failed her mission, and even worse she may be lying to the one she's sworn her loyalty to. I don't mean to question your decisions but I believe she should be punished!" A simple line to bring her failure back into debate.

Punishing others was not something Ainz could take joy in, especially if that someone were his own ally but what could he really do at this point? Without any concrete evidence of betrayal, Shalltear was essentially innocent and could be pardoned of her failed mission due to technicalities involving a world item. If anyone was to be blamed for the mistakes that she made it should have been Ainz himself for sending her there to begin with without considering the possibility of her falling victim to such powerful items.

Feeling backed into a corner, Ainz decided to take a gamble. He would personally question Shalltear in privacy and attempt to coerce answers out of her and reassure her of his impartiality. If this went awry then she would likely assume that he did not trust her and the mess would get even worse.

"We're going to go see her now, come along."

"As you wish, Lord Ainz."

There was no choice, he needed to decipher her reasons for remaining silent or he would risk more potential problems within his own home. The other guardians including Albedo regarded Shalltear's failure as an inexcusable offense despite the presence of a world item. After all this was Shalltear, odds were she ended up in that position due to her own recklessness and overconfidence. For the general peace within Nazarick, he would get to the bottom of this now.

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"To think a war could break out this soon, what is the world coming to?"

Gazef Stronoff sat quietly in his home after hearing the news of the Slane Theocracy trespassing within the countries boundaries and breathed a heavy sigh. It shouldn't have been a surprise for this to happen, after the conflict in Carne Village he knew it would only be a matter of time before things would head south. As if that wasn't enough to think about, he also just so happened to run into an old rival.

Brain Unglaus had taken a complicated path in life after his defeat at the hands of Gazef. In the short time since the last time they'd met, Brain had perfected several of his own techniques and refined his fighting style in such a fashion that very few swordsman could stand up to him, he was a frighteningly strong man...And yet, that man had his will crushed in just one night.

Gazef looked to his old friend with concern before pinching the bridges of his nose. A vampire who could turn Brain into this big of a mess was likely a foe of unimaginable power. How many men would it take to defeat a monster like that? Only one man came to mind when he thought that, the sorcerer Ainz Ooal Gown. Ainz saved Gazef once before, he hoped with all his heart that they could meet again as friends, with a man such as that at his side he was sure that even the mightiest of foes could be vanquished.

"Ha...If only I could find him again, maybe he'd be willing to help out." It would be a goal to work for.

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"You're too concerned, I doubt your king would go so far as to punish you for falling victim to a world item."

Tanabe Takahashi was currently communicating to Shalltear with a Message spell, but found the efficiency to be less than optimal. Shalltear was not able to come up with an excuse to satisfy Ainz's curiosity on short notice, as a result she had been confined to her quarters until the situation was sorted out. This really put a wrench into Tanabe's plans, he couldn't very well make use of any extra information obtained from a physical assistant if she were trapped in her room.

As if that weren't bad enough, he found that she clearly also could not bring herself to lie to Ainz, so she simply left out any information regarding Tanabe when questioned. Considering Tanabe was not only the reason for her abrupt argument with Brain inside the cave but also the giant fight that ensued outside the cave, there was a lot of giant holes in her story which made Ainz even more suspicious. Now Tanabe found himself having to play counselor just to prevent her from losing her nerve and coming clean.

Well it wasn't all bad. Even if Shalltear couldn't do much just yet, he at least found some extra time to test a theory he'd been working on. After seeing the similarities between Shalltear's subconscious and his own current location Tanabe devised a hypothesis.

His own consciousness was separated from his body. That was the conclusion he'd come to. It would explain how he could simply jump into someone else's head like some kind of ghost, but not why or how it happened to begin with. If he truly were stuck in a subconscious state like that of a mind control victim, that meant he must have a physical body somewhere and that there must have been a way for him to "wake up", the problem being he did not know how to do that.

With Shalltear he'd hoped to try replicating a scenario similar to the mind control incident by having her provide test subjects to experiment with. Be they vampires, thralls or otherwise, he wanted to test the limits of his possession in a relatively safe environment. If he could find a body, one that he could use for an extended period of time, one that was disposable to Nazarick but still strong enough to repel most threats, then his investigation for his lost body could begin without any impediments.

"Lord Ainz! I was not expecting you!"

Well, that was a surprise. Ainz had come to visit her personally in her own bedroom, a clever move. In the privacy of her room with just them, Shalltear would likely crack under his gaze and tell him the truth. The whole truth.

Tanabe bit into his thumb, if he was discovered by Nazarick then they would either see him as an enemy or try to recruit him as an ally. Either way he would be losing his freedom to do as he pleased unimpeded. Ainz and all of his subordinates had a physical incarnation, making it impossible for him to fight against their influence should they see him as an enemy, and if he chose to be an ally then even if they did help him find a way to exist among them he would be under Ainz's thumb indefinitely.

"I...I was not hiding anything from you...I just...just…"

Shalltear was faltering, it was only a matter of time now. Her fear of being physically stripped away from her master forever was being weighed against the fear of losing his trust and possible affection.

"I see you are afraid. For the moment I'd like you to see me as a confidant, not your master. I will not fault you for your reasons, I only seek the truth."

That damned skeleton, this was too much for Shalltear to handle, Tanabe needed to find a way to intervene. A sickening smile came to his face in that moment.

Ainz took a step forward, aiming to sit on the edge of the large, overly luxurious bed in the center of the room. Shalltear had a coffin she could sleep in as per vampire cliche but Peroroncino was kind enough to provide her with a bed as well for "special occasions". Looking to play the part of friend instead ruler as best he could, Ainz thought to sit on the bed and act as casual as he could while maintaining a respectful composure.

Unfortunately for him, there just so happened to be loose tile in the floor. Oh Tanabe Takahashi, how cruel can you be? As the cliche goes, Ainz could not keep his balance on such precarious footing and before he knew it, he'd found himself falling onto Shalltear, both of them landing on the bed with a slight crash and panicked yell.

Albedo, having heard the commotion from the other side of the door decided it was best to be absolutely sure her master was okay and that Shalltear hadn't done anything-

Everything was quiet. The staring contest began.

Albedo, having needed a minute to process exactly what she was seeing eventually slipped away from the door and left without a word. Ainz immediately went after her, afraid of the misunderstanding that could have arisen from the horrible inconvenience that had befallen him. _Since when did I find myself in a harem manga!?_ Poor Ainz Ooal Gown, really he should have seen that coming.

Tanabe on the other hand was laughing. This was perhaps the first time in his life he laughed so wholeheartedly. That situation played out even better than he had hoped, and Ainz even lost his composure and went stumbling out after her! What a good day this turned out to be.

"Aha...That was the best. Shalltear? How are you?"

His words did not get through, the shock of the situation and the closeness between herself and Ainz had driven Shalltear's mind right off the edge. The sheer magnitude of emotions flooding through her at the moment would have been enough to give a girl a heart attack, or in her case jumpstart her heart temporarily and well, she was a little too flustered to really do anything after that.

"Uh...Shalltear?"

It was useless trying to talk to her, by this point she'd stuffed her face into a pillow.

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Zesshi Zetsumei, the strongest of the Black Scripture sat quietly with a smile on her face as she fiddled with her _Rubik's Cube._ She knew very well that war could break out at any moment but that was not a cause for concern. In comparison to her, soldiers and ants had little differences, she could slaughter them in the blink of an eye. The reason she smiled so broadly was not due to the thought of war, but what that war had in store for her.

She dreamt of the circumstances a war of this magnitude would bring and while that did not concern her she had an epiphany. A monster of a man with power that rivaled, no surpassed her own. Could such a man really exist in this world? If so then she would fight him, and then no matter what kind of monster he may be, she could clearly imagine what kind of terribly powerful child they could have together. She set the cube down, the time was coming.

Two sides completed.

Zesshi's prophetic dream was inspired by the Lord Beerus from Dragon Ball Super, yet another show I do not own.


	5. Separation

Zesshi slowly completing her Rubik's Cube feels like an ultimatum

Please Enjoy

Tanabe might have gone a bit too far with his last little intervention. After the accident involving Ainz's sudden closeness with Shalltear, Albedo began acting more unpredictably in front of her supreme one turning any and all conversations between them into an inevitable awkward silence. On the bright side Ainz concluded that Shalltear was trustworthy and allowed her to roam freely once more, likely out of guilt for the whole scenario.

"So, this is a good sign isn't it? In the end everything worked out."

Tanabe considered the awkwardness between Ainz, Albedo and Shalltear far more preferable to Shalltear dying, thus he felt that his actions were justified even if it were at the expense of someone else.

"You're too cruel...How am I supposed to talk to him now?"

Shalltear had a point, even if she were practically throwing herself at him before that didn't compare to being pinned down by him in such a manner. Now rather than fantasizing over him, she found herself avoiding his gaze and shivering in his presence. It would definitely be awhile before she could go back to openly expressing her affection for him without causing even more problems than usual.

"I don't know, just talk."

"For a so called God, you give horrible advice."

She felt like a traitor. To be fair, Tanabe had not asked for anything unreasonable thus far. He did not explain his reasoning for much, but that did not matter as long as he didn't endanger Nazarick right? She desperately hoped that assumption to be correct.

"What am I supposed to call you? I don't like the idea of calling you God, it feels like I'm praying to someone who doesn't deserve it."

He didn't really have a name to share to her, telling her to call him Tanabe was basically giving away where he'd come from originally, after all Ainz didn't go around calling himself by his real name either. Having her call him by his avatar's name just sounded embarrassing too.

"Then you may call me a demon, that way you can feel like you're cursing me instead of praying."

She didn't seem happy with that either but Tanabe was not the best with names, not as if it mattered anyway. He knew very well that he was a jerk and that he'd only gotten worse since coming to this world, but Ainz was experiencing the same changes in personality as an undead so it wasn't anything to worry about.

"Alright then, demon. You must be quite afraid of Lord Ainz to be using one of his guardians like this."

Shalltear closed her eyes. For the time being, most of the attention originally settled on her was instead focused on two other situations going on outside of Nazarick. The first was the potential war between nations on the horizon, a conflict that could not possibly be overlooked. The second was Cocytus' mission to exterminate the lizard men, a task Ainz predicted he would fail in the coming days. With everyone worried about those two things, there wasn't much reason to rat out her new little friend who was bullying her internally.

"Well, no excuse for yourself?"

There was no answer. Was he ignoring her? No he just wasn't responding for some reason despite the Message link still being present.

There was a knock at her door, one of the Pleiades had come to inform her that Lord Ainz was summoning the guardians to the throne room.

Shalltear made her way up the floors of Nazarick towards the throne room, normally she'd take a Gate but today she really didn't feel like listening to Aura's complaints. If that demon didn't feel like talking anymore then that was just one less thing weighing on her conscious.

Meanwhile, Albedo looked over towards her supreme one for the fourth time in the past thirty seconds. Ainz had assured her many times thus far that the scene she witnessed was a genuine mistake but it was still something she could not help but consider anyway. Shalltear was her only real competition, so it was only natural for the thought of losing her lover to make Albedo a little more than nervous. Becoming the number two would not be something she could live with.

If Shalltear really were more valuable to Ainz now, then what was it that made her so? Albedo always considered herself to have the superior body, and unlike Shalltear she spent most of her day by Ainz's side when there were no other pressing matters. Could it be that Ainz prefered a smaller woman? Perhaps he discovered that she truly was trying to protect him, or maybe it was because they were both undead, a trait she did not share with the supreme one.

"Albedo."

Albedo shot up instantly.

"Yes Lord Ainz I am ready for everything!"

If Ainz could raise an eyebrow, he would be doing it. While enthusiasm was a trait he appreciated, he knew this reaction was due to insecurity. No matter what he told Albedo she was still on edge, he was too hopeful in assuming that a few words would ease her spirit. Now he needed to pay close attention to Cocytus, Shalltear and Albedo all while preparing for the impending war scene that was likely to come about in the coming months. This was all just too much, and it all spiraled from one little mission.

"You've been acting strange, frankly it's very off-putting"

"I am very sorry Lord Ainz, please punish me for the inconvenience I've caused."

 _Whoa, what!?_ Albedo wanted him to punish her? That was even more concerning than her strange behavior!

Of course this was only Albedo's attempt at making Lord Ainz give her the same treatment he gave to Shalltear, but he would probably be even more worried if he learned that.

"Mhm…"

"Lord Ainz, Cocytus has returned from his mission."

Sebas interjected at the perfect time to end that awkward moment, Ainz could now focus on a subject he had been anticipating for some time now. His eyes began to glow brighter, it was time to see if his prediction was correct.

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It had begun, the conscription of both peasants and adventurers within the kingdom in preparation for the war to come. Normally there were annual wars between the Kingdom and Empire, small skirmishes on the Katze Plains to prevent an all out war from breaking out. These small skirmishes due to their seasonal timing had been putting a strain on the Kingdom's resources for years, but the deteriorating leadership within the Kingdom made it impossible to do something about it at this point.

Now there would be conflict between not just the KIngdom and Empire, but a three way escalation that involved the Slane Theocracy as well, and that was assuming no other nations would get involved which was an optimistic assumption. These circumstances created a rather grim atmosphere within the Kingdom. Everyone knew very well that the KIngdom was the weakest of the major powers when it came to military strength simply because of those meaningless annual conflicts and internal political corruption. As if that weren't bad enough, the Theocracy had been looking for an excuse to kill Gazef for some time without straining their resources too much. Everyone was at their throats and they had few options. Without a miracle, the KIngdom would fall.

Sitting alone in a room was someone who was no stranger to felling nations. Keeno Fasris Inberun, also known as Evileye of the adamantite adventurer group _Blue Roses_. To her it was no surprise that this kind conflict would have happened eventually. She'd lived far too long to be surprised by much including a war, with the exception of two interesting details. There was a new adamantite group in the kingdom, a group of just two. A group of two pulling off the feats they had supposedly done was hard to believe, she wouldn't have accepted the idea at all if she hadn't been a companion to the Thirteen Heroes in the past.

The really scary thought however was the news of another powerful vampire within the country. Being a vampire princess herself with centuries worth of experience under her belt, she had a pretty good grasp on the power scale this world had. Most humans were easy to deal with, a few outliers such as Gazef Stronoff existed but nothing too crazy after that. The only really concerning figures besides him and possibly powerful demi-humans in other places were whatever monsters the Theocracy was hiding, but another vampire who toppled the expectations of it all was scary to consider.

She breathed a deep sigh, no longer sure how to continue. She could not abandon her comrades, but a conflict of this scale was something she'd rather avoid if she could. She took her mask off and stared out the window, if she were to lose these new allies of hers she would need to start over once again, no friends or family to accompany her. The problem with being an immortal was the pain that never ended.

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When Cocytus reported his failure, Shalltear was just happy to see that no one was looking at her anymore, he had the spotlight of shame for now. She felt a sense of calm wash over her, well as calm as one could be with Ainz in the room anyway. His radiating aura often kept them all from feeling relaxed in the slightest, something they assumed he did to make sure they stayed respectful in his presence.

Ainz on the other hand had no such thoughts, he was too busy trying to figure out what to do with his sitting. Demiurge went through the trouble of having a nice bone throne installed but... Ainz really considered the whole "Supreme Lord of Death" thing to be going too far at this point. Even if he couldn't feel any real physical discomfort from sitting on the throne, it was still awkward to him.

Just then the idea came to mind.

"Albedo, you requested a punishment for your attitude issues correct?"

"Yes I did-"

"Then come here."

Within a few moments, Albedo had become a personal chair.

"I'm not too heavy am I?"

He regret asking that. Albedo was literally smiling from ear to ear, not just at the thought of being so close to her supreme overlord but also because of the look on Shalltear's face. But the pained look was because of more than just a bit of jealousy.

"Please excuse me for a moment, Lord Ainz."

Shalltear didn't wait for an answer, she left the room quickly and put a hand over her left eye. There was an extreme pain in her head, a pain that came from nowhere. Seeing Albedo recieve such treatment was painful but it wasn't the direct cause of this headache. She could hear his voice, the voice of that so called God. But although she could hear his voice she could not understand what he was saying, what was going on?

"You seem to be in pain, are you alright Shalltear?"

She turned to see Demiurge standing innocently with his hands behind his back, a sly smile plastered on his face as usual. Demiurge was both sneaky and incredibly smart, so much so that he rivaled Lord Ainz himself. Shalltear knew pretending to be fine would be a fruitless effort.

"I have been feeling unwell recently, yes."

"That means Vampires, even one as prestigious as yourself are vulnerable to such ailments then."

Shalltear frowned, now she had two headaches to deal with.

"We musn't keep Lord Ainz waiting, please do not spend to much time away."

He was obviously suspicious of her, even she could tell just by his unflinching gaze, looking for any fault in her form. To keep face she walked past him, keeping her head held high despite the increasing pain and despite the increasing sound of the voice making her head pound.

She walked right back into that room, no pain would stop her from fulfilling her role as a floor guardian of The Great Tomb of Nazarick.

"Shalltear, are you alright?"

Ainz spoke to her, hoping to get his mind off of the face Albedo was currently making but his words were drowned out. The voice multiplied, there was too much pain for her to focus on anything now.

All the guardians were staring at her, but she didn't know why, she wouldn't have the chance to ask why. The escalation of pain and noise had become overwhelming, she tried to speak and then she collapsed.

In the solemn darkness of a tomb tucked away from the world, hidden away by the Slane Theocracy a pair of amber eyes opened for the first time.

I'm pretty sure this chapter is very poorly written but here goes.


	6. New Body

Chapters release at weird times because I don't have consistent time to write in a day normally

Please Enjoy

"Alright then, demon. You must be quite afraid of Lord Ainz to be using one of his guardians like this."

Well with the amount of resources he had in this world anyone would be afraid of him. The most Tanabe had was a cheat ring that allowed him to break a few rules, not an entire dungeon filled with a legion of undead, and a staff that brought death and destruction. Well he wasn't too worried about her opinion anyway, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

His interference in Shalltear's day to day life made her more reluctant to listen to anything he had to say, making the two sound like an old couple that never stopped arguing. On top of that he hadn't gotten anywhere when it came to escaping this room. Honestly he was getting sick of his lack of freedom, being a spectator had its perks but it was seriously getting riskier and riskier.

Losing interest in the conversation he moved away from the mirror and wandered off, he thought best when pacing. The only good thing about this room was how spacious it was, other than that it was just quiet.

"Wel...or yours…"

Shalltear said something else but he could barely hear her. _That's odd._ The further he got from the mirror, the quieter she was meaning the mirror was really his only medium towards the outside even if it had nothing to do with the spell.

He kept walking towards the "wall" that kept him trapped in this place. Because everything was a blank white and gray it was difficult to tell where one side started and where the other ended, but he knew very well that he was boxed in like a caged animal.

He held his hand out and took a moment to consider the circumstances that led to his imprisonment. It just didn't make any sense for him to be trapped here when another player got to exist in such a carefree manner, and as an undead no less. Why would an undead necromancer not have to go through such an oppressive…

"Wait a minute."

The thought only occurred to him now, his race and class. By Yggdrasil standards there were hundreds of races and classes each of which offered almost countless customization issues, but such a process hadn't applied to him. Yggdrasil's Game Masters were free to play the game however they wanted as long as they themselves enforced the policies set in place. As a Game Master himself he received a few cool perks outside of the equipment. Among the many races and classes there were a few that were specific to individuals. Ainz's Overlord class for example was a class specific to a high level skeletal necromancer, and of course more well known classes such as World Champion. It should go without saying that there were also classes that were scrapped, ones normal players did not have access too. Luckily Tanabe was not a normal player.

Tanabe himself was a warrior class that held the job class known as Shadow Knight, a special version of the Dark Knight and Cursed Knight classes. Shadow Knight was not very different from it's in-game counterparts, but it was specific to him in particular like a title that gave him some individuality among the other players in the game for his admin status. As for his race, he was a special race of demi-human known as the Dragonkin, which was particularly rare but not impossible to attain. Really he wasn't too different from humans aside from features like claws and his eyes.

These unique features in his character made him different from the average player. He could gloat about his custom class with pride, but of course it wasn't as if he were allowed to take it into PVP, after all if he could do that then admins would probably be the strongest players in the game by default. The point is that the class wasn't something the average player could have, so it was a special privilege.

With the details of his character nailed down he tried to cast the spell 「Cloak of Darkness」a spell that wrapped him in darkness and increased his resistance to all holy based attacks, it wasn't a unique spell but his points in the Shadow Knight class were the only reason he had the ability. The result was nothing happening, he didn't know the spell.

"Why am I only realizing this now!?"

He was ashamed, ashamed to have come this far without even noticing the changes in his class, him of all people missing small details that were right in front of him. Granted he hadn't needed much reason to test his strength in this empty place but it explained so much more. The reason why he'd been confined to this place wasn't because he was some kind of god, it was because his class simply did not exist when considering the parameters for this new world. The only reason he'd likely wound up here instead of being changed forcibly to a new class and being reborn was the combination of his class and ring he wore stating his authority. The ring was yet another item that should not have existed by this world's standards, and he'd been abusing it maliciously since he arrived.

So what now, was he stuck? Normally if a player were stuck they would either have to be killed or…They could have an admin revive the avatar without penalty somewhere else.

He looked at the Game Master's ring once more. Normally the price of revival for players was a loss in experience, but he had one more task for the little accessory. Back in Yggdrasil he could use the ring to revive at any time without incurring a penalty, a function that was normally unnecessary as an admin's avatar was immune to being killed by another player for obvious reasons. However, this was not Yggdrasil.

He technically did not have a physical body, meaning that if he were to use the ring to forcibly spawn himself into the New World, the effects would be unpredictable. In a best case scenario, he would just pop down there, completely unharmed. He knew better than to hope for the best case scenario when using this ring, he would be the cause of a world war after all.

Tanabe took a deep breath and went for it. His reincarnation was far less than pleasant than he'd hoped. Memories washed over him in an instant, there was so much to remember, so many voices, it was too loud. The pain was unbearable.

Might have been a smart idea to end the Message before the entire realm collapsed…Well there probably weren't any adverse side effects right?

Well all of Nazarick would be inclined to disagree. After all he wasn't the only one experiencing that pain.

The weight of someone else's mind falling apart was excruciating, one moment Shalltear was calmly reentering the room and the next she was immobilized on the floor.

For Ainz, panic mode had been initiated and he was already up and standing over his incapacitated guardian.

 _What could have happened? Was this the result of her recent mind control?_

Ainz didn't know what to think, there was enough going on as is and seeing Shalltear's pained expression only served to fill him with grief. He knew very well that trying to leave the situation alone just because of a misunderstanding was yet another mistake he'd made.

"Lord Ainz?"

Ainz turned to Albedo who looked at him with a worried expression.

"We're heading back to Nazarick."

"What about the lizardmen?"

"Cocytus and Demiurge will handle this matter, the health of one of my guardians is of utmost importance."

Now there was no excuse, Shalltear would have some explaining to do.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Princess Renner was a highly competent, rational individual who was essentially advertised as the hope of the Kingdom. Now that image was more important than ever before, her smiling face gave people hope, she was their Golden Princess. It's a good thing they couldn't see the face she was making now.

When she awoke this morning, she thought there could be nothing to ruin her mood. She was so very wrong, in fact she was absolutely livid. Climb was supposed to be her personal bodyguard and yet he chose to fight at the frontlines for the sake of protecting her home? She could care less about this kingdom and its people, but if he were to die out there without someone like Lakyus ready to revive him then he'd be lost forever. _Unacceptable._ Her face twisted into that more befitting of a mad dog, there was no way she could allow him to leave. She wanted to just lock him in a cage away from the world where only she could see him, but there were obstacles blocking her path and she had an image to uphold.

There was a knock at the door, meaning that _Blue Roses_ had come for their arranged meeting. Perfect, they would be her solution to this problem. If she could convince them to take Climb with them, or even better to talk him out of his foolish need to fight for the kingdom everything would be alright. She propped herself up regally in her chair and turned towards the door expectantly. Once it opened, Renner was smiling brightly as she always did. The facade of the mad Golden Princess continued.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was dark, really dark. Tanabe couldn't even feel his own body, in fact he couldn't feel anything at all.

The truth behind the matter was that there was hardly a body to feel. What was left was withered and dried out, having rotted almost completely away. Slowly this mummified old carcass began to regenerate, first was the brain and subsequently the eyes then came his throat and things slowly came into shape from there.

Tanabe took a deep breath, the first he'd taken throughout that entire grueling process of coming into shape. Well this was a horrible surprise, he definitely had not popped into existence like he'd hoped, rather it seemed he regenerated from a corpse. A corpse in a coffin no less.

It was too dark to see but he put his hand against the roof of the coffin. It was an intimidating thought, to be buried alive. To escape one would need the strength not just to open the lid but also move the dirt above them. He gave a hard push. The lid popped off easily, too easily. So easily in fact that Tanabe just sat there blinking for a moment wondering just what had happened.

He sat up, the room was...Grand was an apt word. Yes that was right, the room was grand. The room was hexagonal in shape, each side including his own had a coffin aligned with it and above each coffin were illustrations of colored glass.

 _Some kind of mausoleum..?_

He looked down at his body, completely wrapped in robes and...Tiny?

"Okay...I'm a little too small aren't I?"

He gasped for a second. His voice. It was what those in the gaming community would call a "squeaker". He started panicking. _No, no no no, come ooon, don't do this to me!_

He did his best to pull off the wrappings covering his body without ripping them to shreds. He couldn't have been a child could he? That would just be too cruel. Well after taking a look at **her** body, she realized it was far worse than that.

"I'm...A girl?" She paled instantly, this wasn't even funny.

In all it took about 15 minutes of staring at her body before she blushed like an idiot and reclothed herself in the wrappings she woke up in. They weren't clothes but they would serve well enough in concealing herself. This must have been how Ainz felt when he realized one of his more important manly features was missing. As long as she didn't say anything then no one would be the wiser.

"Of all the bodies in here I could have woken up with, it had to be the little girl!?"

This was karma, it had to be. This was her punishment for bullying the residents of Nazarick, for playing God. She couldn't help but compare herself to Icarus, and she'd most definitely flown too close to the sun.

"Nope, I'm fixing this right now."

Tanabe took a look over. There was no ring. Curses filled the air.

"I'm stuck like this. Fow how long will I be forced to parade around in this body..?"

She jumped out of the deceptively large coffin and despite her thoughts, she didn't feel anymore uncomfortable than she had before, as if she was used to her new body already.

"Why? Why did this have to turn into a gender bender?" Another uncomfortable fourth wall break.

She felt like crying, but there was nothing to be gained from that. Right now Tanabe needed to get her bearings and find her way out of this tomb, then she could worry about dealing with this body. With a sad huff, she made her way towards the nearest structure that resembled a door. Large metal double doors, likely just as heavy as they looked. Thankfully she was far stronger than she looked. Far stronger.

"Jeez...Did I so happen to reincarnate from a dead princess or something?" That would be even more unlucky. The truth was more than she might have been able to handle at the moment. Tanabe was a level one hundred player after all, just how many bodies in this world could handle the spirit of someone like that? If you hadn't already guessed, Tanabe had unfortunately reincarnated into the body of a previous player like himself, a player from a group of six and the only one who could use heavy weaponry like himself.

After the heavy doors was a corridor, Tanabe moved quickly. There was a light on the other side, and in that light would be her escape.

Reflexes were a nifty feature, especially when your life was threatened.

Tanabe stopped dead in her tracks and moved backwards before losing her head. _That was close._ Too close, the last thing Tanabe would have expected after waking up in an abandoned tomb was to be attacked. Well that tomb wasn't as abandoned as she'd hoped.

In front of her now was her assailant, a scythe-user. The strongest of the Black Scripture and guardian of the Slane Theocracy's treasury, a treasury which held the remnants of the Six Great Gods. She not only protected their equipment but obviously their remains as well. There were only so many places Tanabe could have come to life in and this was by far one of the most dangerous.

Neck deep in Theocracy territory, no weapons, no armor and no vampire assistant. The woman in front of her grinned widely before putting down the cube she was holding.

Three sides complete.

The gender bending concept was a friends idea, and I'm just slightly dumb enough to put an idea like that into practice.


	7. Awake

This one's a little short because I'm super busy

Please Enjoy

Albedo stood guard on the second floor of Nazarick, ready to inform Ainz Ooal Gown of any changes at a moments notice. After she collapsed Ainz took the liberty of carrying her back himself to Albedo's dismay. Being sat on was a wonderful privilege, but being held in his arms would be a dream come true.

"...I'll be going to survey the situation with the lizardmen."

Those were Ainz's only words once he left the room, he didn't even need to tell her to keep an eye on the floor. He promised the lizardmen four hours worth of respite before Cocytus would be sent to battle them, and that time was already almost up. Ainz spent the majority of that time right by Shalltear's side, frankly Albedo was feeling levels of jealousy she wouldn't have even thought possible.

She grit her teeth, she would have a nice long chat with Shalltear once this all passed. In the end, it was as if she were being rewarded for her failure while Albedo was being left behind after her loyal service. Any passing denizens of Nazarick stayed completely clear of Albedo as she paced around relentlessly, the aura she gave off was quite terrifying.

Shalltear on the other hand found herself in a world similar to the one she was in when she met Tanabe in person. Everything was as blank and white as she remembered it to be. For a moment she spotted the demon, his hand outstretched towards her. She tried talking to him but he could not hear her.

"Wait a minute."

"Wait for what? Where have you put me!?"

She walked up to him but hit a barrier. No, it was more like an invisible wall. A punch didn't get through or even faze Tanabe for that matter. _Maybe a javelin then._ He could probably survive it anyway, assuming he was as important as he claimed to be.

In that moment Tanabe glanced over to the ring on his finger, there was a shine and then the world began to fall apart as she heard the echoes of his voice once more.

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Combat in Yggdrasil had many rules. A fight between mages was often a battle of knowledge, the better one understood their opponent the better their chances of winning. In many ways, this made Yggdrasil a bit of a strategy game, like chess. However knowledge was not quite enough when it came to conflict between warriors.

This was apparent regarding Tanabe's current situation. Fighting a scythe user without a weapon was ridiculously difficult, there were hardly any openings to take advantage of and the openings that did surface were hard to exploit with bare hands. As if that weren't bad enough already, Tanabe had no clue what this new body was capable of. Spells? Skills? Racial traits? She knew none of it. But the worst possible part of all this was that she had no equipment.

A warrior was a warrior through and through after all. A high amount of health meant that even with a small stature she could take a few cuts and slashes no big deal, but with leveled armor to match? With that she could stop the blade of a weapon with her hands alone, and with a leveled weapon...Well it wouldn't be a staff of Ainz Ooal Gown but it would certainly put her far beyond the realm of the beings of this world. However life was not so forgiving.

With no weapons, armor, skills or spells to count on, all that was left were raw stats. The physical power from levels alone would deal with most threats but against Zesshi she might as well have been a level one hundred training dummy. _Frustrating._ This was an extremely frustrating situation, having to prance about to avoid getting hit as much as possible. Still she had to give it to this miniscule body, it certainly wasn't lacking in speed.

"Aren't you going to fight back?"

The question was abrupt, the scythe stopping mid-swing and catching Tanabe off guard. If it hadn't occurred to her before that this woman might not be totally right in the head it sure did now.

"Getting this far undamaged is a feat I wouldn't think anyone can accomplish. Anyone who could do that must be more entertaining than an average thief."

Right...Obviously anyone would see her as a trespasser, after all how believable was it for a corpse to reincarnate into someone entirely different from the original person? Not only that but she referred to this fight as "entertainment". A person like this, who took enjoyment in conflict such as this was never any good news. Well she had a point, jumping around would do no good.

So Tanabe threw a punch. It was no ordinary punch, there was a kind of force behind it, the kind of force only a particularly high level individual could throw. While little damage was done, the attack did it's job. Zesshi staggered backwards for a moment, it was the perfect chance to run. And run she did.

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to stick around and take a fight like this!"

 _What._

For a moment that attack excited Zesshi, an unarmed man throwing an attack like that was a glimmer of hope except...That voice. She'd spent years waiting patiently for an opportunity like this, for someone who could really challenge her but...Was her destined partner...A child? That was ridiculous, clearly she was mishearing things. Why would a child be in the… A realization smacked her in the face. He needed to be captured immediately. The loud noises she heard from inside that tomb weren't from an intruder but rather an escape. Zesshi turned to face her challenger once again.

"Huh. He left…He won't get very far."

Well she was right about that at least. There was no way Tanabe could easily escape the tunnel of pathways and rooms linked to this place in such a short amount of time. Without an idea of where to go or what to do she was a sitting duck, and of course Zesshi was coming for her.

"Having a level 100 assistant would be reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally helpful right about now."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Now everything was more of a dark void, shapeless and empty. Shalltear could still faintly hear his voice, the sarcastic taunting voice of the being who put her in this situation to begin with. _Where are you?_ That was not a tone to be taken lightly, she could not help but think he was testing one of his "experiments" on her. _I hear you dammit, stop hiding._ This had gotten more than annoying.

There, she saw an outline in the darkness, which made no sense but out of everything that was happening today that really wasn't something to focus on. She floundered in the darkness and caught hold of it, then the voices ceased. In the darkness there was an object reflecting light, this thing really just defied reality.

"A ring...Why is this here?"

It seemed so unlikely for things to play out this way. It was only a simple message spell, a means of communication, a small mental link with no adverse consequences. And yet, despite the simplicity of the spell it was still possible for events like this to play out. For an item such as this to sustain itself in a theoretical form in a plane outside of reality. It was ridiculous, a flaw that shouldn't even be possible but Shalltear was there, her conscious momentarily torn away from her body all to retrieve this piece of jewelry left behind by it's irresponsible owner.

An accessory left behind in a world like this, it was another cruel joke being orchestrated by him, she knew it. All that pain he'd caused her just to show her a stupid ring, was there anything more shameful for a guardian like herself? A guardian forced to serve another besides her master, she considered it to be pitiful. But it was either the ring or this inky darkness. As regretful as it may be, she slipped on the ring, ready for the consequences that came with it.

Memories were a fickle thing. Some lasted a lifetime and others vanished almost instantly. Emotions played a large role in their relevance, that being said it wouldn't be a surprise for a person to break out in tears over the sheer feelings invoked by a picture or a sense of nostalgia. The ability to remember was a gift, only through this could someone learn and grow. But what Shalltear saw from these memories did more than simply teach her a few things.

She could clearly see them, memories left behind by that god, no he wasn't a god. The man before her was little more than your average perfectionist. But why was this worthless person being shown to her? She didn't have to wait long for an answer, the memories rushed through her head in a flash. _No, make it stop._ She couldn't even open her mouth, it hurt.

"Shalltear!"

Her eyes snapped open to reveal none other than Albedo. She sat up silently, the memories of that man still fresh in her mind.

"You were screaming but...Now that you're up you will need to speak with Lord Ainz, they should be returning soon."

Albedo sounded proud, knowing what was to come. Well no amount of smugness would get to Shalltear as she was, especially since she was too busy staring into her hand.

"You are correct, he needs to start talking."

That did not sound very much like Shalltear. Albedo frowned. _How dare she speak so disrespectfully about Lord Ainz._

"You think you can speak about about my supreme one that way?"

"Albedo, Lord Ainz is an undead. Have you ever considered who he was before he became that way?"

That was a question no one in Nazarick would have asked, how could they pry into their master's personal life in such a way? Most undead didn't even remember who they were before but...What made Shalltear ask that now?

"You have a lot more to tell me, 'demon'."

Her voice was calm and yet fierce. This was not the kind of feeling Albedo often had when looking at Shalltear, and definitely not what she was expecting when she was informed of her screaming just a minute ago.

 _Who was this demon? And what had he told her?_

Albedo couldn't even voice her concerns. Shalltear opened a 「Gate」all the while staring at the new accessory adorning her finger.

So much drama


	8. Fourth Wall Break

Someone told me to rename the story to Saga of Tanabe the Cheat, lol

Please Enjoy

Ainz never needed to eat or sleep due to being undead, but right now he could really use a nap. All these events were taking their toll on his mental state and he could do nothing but sit there and think about it all day. While he would passively be prevented from getting too upset about anything, the buildup of stress caused by these inconveniences was visible to those around him through other means.

"I. Worry. For. The. Supreme. One."

Cocytus quietly made his thoughts known to the other guardians who shared his mindset. Ainz may not have noticed but the stress induced by circumstance made him constantly emit his aura of despair, a red flag towards how he truly felt. This aura was enough to make the guardians themselves bow down in acknowledgment to his power, so it was quite a surprise to see that Crusch Lulu was able to stay conscious throughout her conversation with him. Now the lizardmen were officially his loyal subjects, and Cocytus was left in charge of them.

The next item on his agenda would have involved the Kingdom, but first he needed to check up on Shalltear. Luckily and somewhat awkwardly both her and Albedo were just waiting for him when he returned to Nazarick, what a scary sight that was. Albedo seemed about ready to snap until she noticed Ainz was in the room.

"Shalltear, you're awake. You should have waited in bed until I returned."

"Indeed, however I have a personal matter to discuss with you that could not wait, Lord Ainz."

That was a little more than slightly worrying. Hearing someone who'd collapsed to the floor just this morning for unknown reasons suddenly wanting a private talk, and without a prior warning from Albedo no less. This was already turning into a tense moment.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Against Zesshi, Tanabe had the speed advantage but this environment was unforgiving and she soon found herself cornered as a result.

"Now then, since you can't run any-"

"I give up!"

Zesshi paused for a moment. _Give. Up?_ The concept seemed foreign to her, after all the few opponents she had the pleasure of fighting didn't last long enough to have the chance to surrender.

"You're giving...Up?"

It didn't make sense. This little one was supposed to be one of the Six Great Gods, among the strongest beings to ever exist and would rather surrender than fight? Even without a weapon they should have skills and abilities that far outstripped what any other combatant was capable of. The only possible excuse was that this god was having mercy on her, as if she would accept that.

"Uh...are you okay?"

Tanabe knew there was no way to escape this woman, meaning that any allies she had would likely come to assist her if this dragged on too long. Rather than taking a chance, she thought it best to throw in the towel now, if she were lucky then she might be able to learn where she was and who this body might have belonged to originally even if it were from within a prison cell. _That would be terrible, but I could probably escape considering my physical strength…_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a powerful attack from Zesshi, prompting her to jump out of the way. When she recovered she saw very clearly that Zesshi had knocked the entire wall down.

"Whoa! I said I give up!"

She tried again, it only made things worse.

"I surrender! I yield! Do you understand what I'm saying!?"

Tanabe was running for her life now, trying not to get as violently torn down as just about everything around her. _What's wrong with this girl!? Did I accidentally insult her!?_ This was a disaster, she desperately wished to escape this place and put as much distance between herself and that woman as physically possible.

She took several turns, hoping to find a room or a hiding place, something to give her some breathing room. Instead she found herself getting lucky for the first time since waking up in this damned place, a large important-looking door. Finally, finally something was going her way. After waking up as a small girl with no clothes, and no equipment, and then having to fight this crazy woman, Tanabe seriously started to consider that she was never meant to have come to this world to begin with.

She ran full speed into the door, nearly knocking it off it's hinges. _Freedom...!_ Or so she thought. Turns out the tomb she was in was just part of a much much larger complex.

"Where the heck am I!?" She couldn't have hoped for an answer and after hearing footsteps behind her, she chose to continue running. _This just doesn't make any sense! What king keeps dead bodies in his basement!?_

There was no other thought that could have occurred to her. She expected a building of some sort, maybe a church or even a small fort but this...This place was enormous. The only thing she could possibly consider this place to be was some sort of castle, one owned by a king or at the very least an incredibly wealthy individual. Nearing the end of a hallway she also found the end of her train of thought as she rammed into someone new.

"Oh? Who are you?"

"I'm saved..."

Tanabe fully expected to find at least one guard wandering the place and was pleasantly surprised to quite literally run into one, of course he wasn't an average man after all he took a charge that knocked open a metal door and didn't even flinch.

He was a young man, who looked as though he couldn't have been any older than twenty at the most. He had long flowing dark hair and sharp red eyes that would give even the most seasoned of warriors a shiver. On the outside he wore expensive looking ornate armor that gleamed even in the night. This man was the Captain of the Black Scripture, a godkin just like Zesshi.

"I heard quite a bit of noise over here and assumed Zesshi had grown restless, instead I found a child?"

He kneeled down to look her in the eyes, he certainly didn't think that this was just some random kid who'd have made it this far but it would give him a better look at their face. For the most part the face was still wrapped in what appeared to be old worn bandages but her eyes were clearly visible, bright amber orbs with slit pupils like a wild beast. _Interesting._

"Ah, Zesshi I was just wondering where you might have been."

"..."

"Who is this child? Do you know how they managed to get so far undetected?"

Invisibility would get you pretty far when it came to sneaking around, and with that stature it wouldn't be too difficult to squeeze into small places undetected. But getting this far was inexcusable, perhaps she had a special skill that allowed her to walk around until she got here but to what end?

"Okay, I know I'm in a lot of trouble and I'll come quiet-"

"That 'child' came from the chamber that holds the remains of the Six."

Tanabe certainly didn't like being cut off, but those last few words caught her attention. _The Six? Just who did this body belong to?_

"One of the Six has risen..?"

The Captain's expression shifted away from the calm visage it was a few seconds ago. Tanabe was scared, becoming even more important was the last thing she wanted.

"We have to bring her along. Now."

"Wait don't I have a say!?"

She wasn't given a say.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The tension in the room was almost thick enough to cut through. Alone with Shalltear, Ainz was seated and ready to listen to whatever she had to say. The question was, who would begin speaking first? Shalltear had plenty reason to keep silent in the face of Ainz out of respect for his authority, but he himself found it difficult to open his mouth. Shalltear didn't seem like her usual self, her calm demeanor and patient smile were a far cry from her usual behavior in his presence. Honestly he would probably have an easier time striking up a conversation with Albedo despite how she was acting recently.

"Well then, what did you need to say?"

Ainz made the first move, having taken some time to get his thoughts in order.

"Right, firstly to address the mind control."

Ainz's eyes began to glow even brighter than usual, a testament to the importance of what she was about to say.

"It would seem that I have made a bit of a deal with the devil so to speak, in fact it's the reason I was able to escape the mind control originally."

Ainz was leaning further forward, wanting her to continue.

"Some time after the mind control took effect, I was approached by a man claiming to be...Of a higher power. It was confusing at the time, being fully conscious and yet not awake or able to move but it clearly happened nonetheless."

Ainz's mind was racing. He never considered that a being such as that might exist, a being that could nullify the effects of world items was a serious threat to say the least. Now it made sense why Shalltear's story was full of holes, this "higher power" had made some adjustments of his own.

"The price for having the mind control broken was to become a bit of an assistant for his experiments."

"Experiments?"

"Yes, although they made little sense to me. It would be best to say that nothing noteworthy came from it."

A higher power using one of his guardians for seemingly useless tests seemed very ill intentioned. There was of course the possibility that this being simply did not comprehend what exactly Nazarick was or why it was there, after all they just sort of popped into existence separate from the rest of the world's affairs. If it was only curious then...No, Ainz knew that thought was too optimistic. If it were only curiosity then why would it hide it's existence until now? Another thought came to mind.

"Could it have been a player?"

For awhile now the concept of running into other players was something Ainz was extremely cautious about, situations like this were the main reason for it.

"Perhaps, although I wanted to ask you a question before I continued."

"Go on."

"Why exactly do you care about us guardians, or anyone else in Nazarick?"

That was an odd question, he had to admit. Honestly there were plenty of reasons to care about his guardians. They were loyal, they were strong, they sought only to assist him in any way they could and most importantly…

"Because you, like all of Nazarick are a testament to an age that was lost. You represent the bonds of friendship and commitment that I once had and will always be seen as so. As for you guardians in particular, you all are most definitely the closest remnants of those friends I have lost, almost like their children."

"Ah, I see. We can't compare to them, as we are little more than programs…"

 _Ok, what?_

Ainz's speech was the kind you'd expect from a true leader. A speech to boost morale and tell everyone that they mattered. The guardians would have been ecstatic to hear their master hold them in such high regard but...Shalltear not only took his statement with a grain of salt, she also referred to herself as a "program".

"I understand Lord Ainz, I only wished to clarify a thought I'd had."

"Wait a momen-"

"If you would further indulge me, I'd also like to ask about you. Where exactly did you come from?"

This entire conversation was terrifying. It almost felt like a fourth wall break, with an NPC casually throwing around words like "program" and then asking him personal questions about himself.

"I am undead, much of my previous life is not known to me. The origin of my power however is through my own effort, effort that then allowed me to become the supreme one you know now."

The stare she was giving him genuinely creeped him out. It was the kind of stare you would get when you told your parent a lie and they didn't believe you. It was almost as if she were saying "That's not what I asked.".

"I understand...Then about the fainting. When I collapsed earlier today it was due to the very same being who I'd been helping in secret. The reason for this pain is still not yet clear to me, however I can assure you that his influence no longer present."

Ainz couldn't speak, there was no way he could speak under this pressure. _Is this really Shalltear?_ It sure as hell didn't seem like it, she just felt too...Real. After the incident with the lizardmen, Ainz observed very clearly that the NPC were capable of growth just like real people but this was almost absurd.

"Shalltear, what made you ask these questions? Did that thing tell you something that you took interest in?"

"No, he did not."

It wasn't technically a lie, Tanabe had told her nothing. No, it was that ring. The ring was almost like a living thing itself, and it only showed her glimpses of what she wanted to know. She saw very clearly that that "demon" and that average man sitting at a desk were the same person, but it made no sense to her. Shalltear had no concept of alternate realms or video games, she didn't have the capacity to even imagine it, but now she had questions she could not answer, questions that Ainz himself seemed to have difficulty answering.

"I am sorry if I acted rude...I'm just…"

She changed for a moment, a moment that made her seem more like herself. Ainz took that chance to grasp onto it.

"Shalltear, your questions were a bit strange, might you clarify them a bit more?"

"Oh well, I was just um...Curious about...you."

She was being more reserved, a trait she and Albedo normally didn't have. Seeing her turn pink in the face and have no excuse for herself, Ainz decided to go on the aggressive.

"Then there was no need to have this conversation in private. It was a waste to tell me these things when they will need to be repeated anyway."

That was enough to change her attitude, making her seem more like a child who'd been caught misbehaving.

"I enjoy being alone with you…"

Mhm, that's Shalltear. Actually he thought it was rather cute to see her acting shy instead of immediately throwing her love at him.

"I understand that these circumstances may have been out of your control, however your espionage will not go unpunished."

He had her attention now, and he knew it was his victory. Now came the difficult part, figuring out exactly what she knew and why she'd been behaving so strangely. The conversation was over, but Ainz was not at all done with her just yet.

Anyone else ever have nightmares about self aware AI? (Just Monika)


	9. Nightfall

I wonder if the Gamemaster's ring counts as a world item

Please Enjoy

Tanabe was thankful to be taken away from Zesshi but was still quite surprised to see where the Captain of the Black Scripture was taking her. Originally she expected to be waiting in a cell to be interrogated, that was the fate one would assume to befall a trespasser of this level. This room was no prison cell, in fact it was more like the inside of a federal court. If she felt small before, it didn't compare at all to how she felt now.

This chamber could have been considered to be the most politically imposing chamber in the entirety of the Slane Theocracy. This is where the Pontifex Maximus (Basically the pope) and his council determined the fate of their country, and possibly the world around it. The council consisted of the six cardinals of the gods as well as just about every other man or woman with serious political influence, even the military.

When Tanabe was brought in they were all discussing war strategy, she hadn't heard much but what she did hear was a bit concerning. The Theocracy was already finished mobilizing their forces, an aggressive move could be made as early as tomorrow afternoon. For a moment she considered just how Ainz would take advantage of the world at war. Speaking of which, how was Shalltear doing? There'd been no contact with her since that internal world collapsed, what if she'd told them the truth? There was no time to consider that, Tanabe would become the object of attention she would have rather avoided.

Everyone in the room stared directly at her.

"This...Person came from the coffin of the wind goddess."

The Captain spoke first, now there was no escape. With a jerk of the hand, he removed the wrappings covering her head, revealing her face as well as the messy silver hair underneath. The council went into an uproar.

The Theocracy was founded under the Six Great Gods, beings of power who came to this world and saved humanity six hundred years ago. Through their influence, the most powerful human nation was established, a nation that believed in humanity and discriminated against just about everything else. Killing non-human players was quite a common practice in Yggdrasil, even half breeds didn't completely escape the bullying. With that ideology in place it should not have been a surprise that the council might have been a bit perturbed to see that someone who was clearly demi-human was being called a reincarnation of one of their gods.

When Tanabe was reincarnated, certain parameters needed to be filled. Reincarnation required a suitable vessel, one that could theoretically fulfill the same capabilities as the last. A body that was of the same class, or could otherwise acquire the skills or spells necessary to be a convincing replacement. As for the race…

"You are insinuating that this creature is our maiden? Do you understand the nonsense you are spouting?"

The one to take the most offense was Dominic Ihre Partouche, Cardinal of Wind. As the Cardinal of wind he was the most familiar with the god associated, thus his sudden outburst was understandable. Claiming that one of the Six was actually a demi-human would count as heresy, the very prospect would defy everything the Theocracy stood for.

Tanabe felt annoyed, if she were so important then why did everyone ignore what she said? If she were as big and intimidating as before she could have had everyone blabbering every bit of information they had at this point but being treated like a child filled her with an honest rage. For just a moment a kind of aura escaped her, one that the others in the room could only perceive as a dark omen. All was quiet. Realizing that everyone had closed their mouths to stare at her, Tanabe spoke.

"Uh...Can I ask about this maiden? I've kinda been left in the dark."

Really this was the moment where anyone else would have stayed quiet, fearing the consequences of their words but Tanabe saw an opening. If they held this figure in such high regard, then they could not take the chance of disposing of her now could they?

"Girl, do you not comprehend the matter in which you have found yourself involved? That one of the gods who saved humanity has been found again in you? Do you not understand the significance these gods hold in this world that you should feel blessed to walk in?"

"Uh...No?"

Tanabe was in for the lecture of her life.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

With the lizardmen under his control, Ainz was prepared to move on to his next objective. Sebas and Solution were posted in the kingdom to gather helpful information on the criminal group known as Eight Fingers. Since the threat of war was sitting on the horizon, criminal activity skyrocketed within the kingdom and Eight Fingers was in on every little bit of it.

Ainz had hoped to take advantage of the situation and increase his fame as Momon the adventurer at the same time, which required extensive planning with Demiurge, however this operation would have to wait. His finely laid out plans had two overwhelming obstacles. The first was that every adventurer of Mythril rank and above had been called in along with other military leaders for an important meeting to discuss war time efforts.

The thought of calling in a large number of adventurers for such a reason was impractical at best. Most adventurers became such so that they may go on to become heroes or because the line of work simply adhered to them, as a result when the conscriptions began many ended up retiring or even fleeing the country altogether to avoid the conflict.

"For the Kingdom to get this desperate...Even ignoring such a powerful criminal organization for the time being." It was a sad thought, the corruption within the Kingdom was just too high.

The second reason was that Ainz found no comfort in the thought of some being using Shalltear for his own gain under their noses. In an effort to keep the situation under control he gave an absolute order to Shalltear. She would remain by his side at all times.

This was not a situation Ainz could find solace in. After his conversation with Shalltear he knew it was best to keep her by his side, it was the only way to make absolutely sure that no other unexpected interventions from this "higher power" would catch them by surprise. Sure there were arguments between Shalltear and Albedo almost constantly but for the most part everything was in order, or so he thought.

Ainz made a mistake, one he could only blame himself for once again. He told Shalltear that he would keep her by his side at all times, something he considered a punishment. Wasn't being watched like a criminal something anyone would dislike? The lack of freedom didn't get to Shalltear at all, in fact she saw being watched by Ainz constantly as a reward. Well that was fine anyway, at least he could put any issues concerning her to rest right?

It was in that notion that Ainz discovered his second mistake, all times meant ALL times. So, how exactly could Ainz keep his eye on Shalltear while living his double life as Momon the adventurer? Leaving her to the watchful eyes of Albedo sounded like a fight waiting to happen. Other than that there was a simple yet admittedly sketchy solution. He could just take her with him.

There was no way that would be okay. There were SO many possible ways for things to go wrong. It was either that or sending Pandora's Actor in Momon's place...To a meeting between some of the most important figures in the kingdom.

...

"This is a terrible idea…"

Shalltear's disguise was actually rather convincing. She'd changed into a nice white dress, a mask and even went as far as to dye her hair blonde. Although since their team was named "Darkness" Ainz demanded that she wear something a bit darker, so she simply changed the color of her new attire to black to match his armor. Of course it wouldn't be believable for her to be an adventurer under regular circumstances, but no one in the kingdom would be complaining with how bad things were getting. The reputation of Darkness would be more than enough to convince any who harbored doubt.

"To think I have to wear this scrap of copper while the two of you have already achieved the highest rank…"

"I would not worry Lady Shalltear, I am certain that once you are seen in combat alongside Lord Momon and I your rank will increase dramatically."

"It's just Momon, Nabe."

Narberal would never get used to addressing him in such a casual way.

And thus under the alias "Nightfall", Shalltear became the official third member of Darkness. The name was inspired by a story Momon happened to overhear the evening when he took credit for the defeat of the powerful vampire that instilled mass panic not too long ago. Many compared the appearance of a powerful vampire to that of another known as Landfall (Evileye), given that Shalltear herself was a vampire and that their team was dark themed the name made perfect sense to him.

"You too 'Nightfall', only refer to me as Momon."

"Yes Lord Ainz- I mean Momonga. I mean...Momon."

Momon sighed heavily, this situation was just far too ridiculous. His comrades aside, his strategy would be to show off his overwhelming power in order to force the enemy back for a bit, after that he could worry about Eight Fingers. Once the situations within the Kingdom were settled he could plan his next move accordingly, there would be no reason to just fight one sidedly for the Kingdom without seeing the benefit the other countries offered for Nazarick.

Within an hour the three members of Darkness were making their way into the war room. Most soldiers and other adventurers moved out of their way without a word. Making their way to the front was easy, and they took their place alongside Blue Roses.

 _So that's him..._ Evileye took note of Momon quietly, he looked even more impressive than she thought he would.

Among those standing to face the crowd, Momon knew almost none of them. Gazef Stronoff stood near the front along with another man he hadn't seen before. Other than him there was no one. To think that all these problems would stem from one reckless move on his part. He would be sure to pay that wannabe God back in full, for both his hindrances to nazarick and his manipulation of Shalltear.

Gazef began to talk, a bit of a welcoming speech to those who'd shown up, but it did not last long. The man at his side, a certain seaweed haired mercenary had made eye contact with Shalltear. For a brief moment Momon realized the strange interaction, unsure of what to say.

And then, Brain drew his sword.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On a day like today you could easily expect to find Albedo in bed cuddling her Ainz Ooal Gown plushies. By now she had more than a dozen, not including the other bits of merchandise strewn about. But today was a strange day, her patience had worn thin and her jealousy was immeasurable.

Now Shalltear gained the privilege of not only travelling with Ainz but also becoming the center of his attention, how could this have happened? She was expected to believe that another power, potentially another player was sabotaging their daily lives with Shalltear as a medium. The very thought of another inferior being trying to toy with their master, sent many of the guardians into a rage Albedo included. Her suggestion was to put Shalltear in her quarters and keep her there this time, but instead she was gloriously rewarded yet again for being the victim.

Well now Albedo would be the one to go on the offensive. No longer would she simply sit and watch these events play out in front of her quietly. Shalltear may have had Lord Ainz's attention for now but she also gave Albedo a clue to something bigger while screaming out in her sleep, a clue that she recognized but knew very little about.

Albedo made her way to _Ashurbanipal,_ the Library of Nazarick located on the tenth floor. With enough research maybe she could find something interesting for her lord to praise her over. If anywhere, this was the place she expected to learn what she could about an "admin".

Woo, so much stuff crammed into all these tiny chapters.


	10. Strategy

I never claimed to be a good writer, but some of these ideas sound fun (Happy 10 Chapter-versary)

Please Enjoy

Albedo found herself in a corner between almost three dozen books, most of which only loosely referenced the existence of admins within Yggdrasil. Only after encountering the word being used numerous times as general term did Albedo begin to realize just how incomplete her knowledge of the world was, a fact she considered to be shameful.

"Should the information you find not prove to be very useful, it is my understanding that Lady Shalltear was given a 'Game Encyclopedia' by Lord Ainz. The text originally belonged to Lord Peroroncino and would likely contain something relevant to your research."

Titus, the chief librarian of the Grand Library had taken quite an interest in the particular subject of Albedo's research. Like many other NPC he had a very crude understanding of the way Yggdrasil functioned, as a result little was known about things such as servers, server admins or even the concept of there being any with authority greater than that of their supreme ones.

"Shalltear has it? Then could that mean she has a clear understanding of who she encountered...?"

She should not have said that out loud, the only ones who knew about Shalltear's situation were Lord Ainz himself, the other guardians, Sebas and the Pleiades. Titus would be sure to do a bit more research himself. Albedo's current concern however overshadowed her slip of information, specifically the idea that Shalltear may have known exactly what strung her along in it's plans and still hadn't informed Lord Ainz.

"By the way, if you are concerned over one of Lord Peroroncino's possessions being handed over, there is also another journal of his that I withheld from your search criteria for...Censorship reasons."

"Bring it here immediately, I have to be sure to learn all I can now before Lord Ainz returns."

"Right away, ma'am."

Titus disappeared among a few bookshelves, and Albedo considered the possibility of Shalltear having planned things to work out this way from the start. If so then Albedo had vastly underestimated her rival in numerous ways, in fact it could be possible that they'd all been underestimating Shalltear this whole time. Shalltear had unintentionally earned a bit of Albedo's respect.

"Here you are ma'am."

"Ah, thank you."

Albedo hurriedly opened the journal and began flipping through the pages, skimming the contents for anything that caught her eye. The skimming began to slow the further she got into the journal, at the same time her expression began to contort in different ways.

"Miss Albedo, are you quite alright?"

Alright was not quite the correct term. Her eyes were the size of tennis balls and her face a burning red.

"I think...I think I'll return this later."

Never again could Albedo judge Shalltear for her perverted nature.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Gazef invited Brain to come along to a war meeting he had every reason in the world to decline, after all he wasn't a soldier, he wasn't an adventurer and he certainly didn't care too much about what happened to this corrupt kingdom. In the end however he agreed, not because he wanted to fight, but because he owed Gazef for taking him in and giving him the opportunity to get his thoughts in order.

Facing something as inhumanly powerful as Shalltear had crushed Brain's spirit almost completely. How could he, a man of such talent lose so overwhelmingly? Luckily for him, under the encouragement of his rival, a hopeful kid aiming for greater heights and an old man he was able to get over his fears and pick up his Katana once more. This was not a reason to stop, rather it was a lesson that strengthened his resolve to go beyond the pinnacle of humanity, it was only the beginning.

Now that resolve was to be tested. In front of him was a girl unlike anyone else in the room, the way she carried herself as well as her attire immediately set her apart from any average combatant. Honestly her demeanor was more befitting of a noble than a warrior but that was exactly why Brain found himself captivated by her appearance, because he knew that appearance was hiding a monster. She turned to look at him and they made eye contact, it was then that Brain felt the same dread as that fateful night and made the connection.

He put his hand on the hilt of his sword as a drop of sweat ran down his face.

"It's her...Why is she here?"

His words were quiet, not loud enough to be heard over Gazef's speech. His breathing grew heavier and he could hear his own heart pounding, but he would not allow himself to run in the face of this danger, he was a warrior. She was faster than him, he knew that much but his aim would not be to land a lethal blow, it would be to get her to exert more effort than simply holding a fingernail in the way. Yes, if he do even that then that would be proof of his progress as a swordsman. Unsheathing his blade, he lunged at her fearing nothing.

For a moment time seemed to slow down, and then it him, a vision of his demise. When he reached her, his head would be rolling by her feet by the time he swung his blade. It sent a chill through him, one that completely froze him in place and made him feel numb.

When it passed he was standing by Gazef once again, his hand still firmly on the hilt of his sword that had yet to be drawn. He had never moved to begin with. The revelation of this fact forced him to glance at her once again, and he realized that Shalltear's presence was completely different than before. She was directing an absurdly large amount of bloodlust straight at him, the only warning he would receive and the explanation for that vision. This time she wouldn't taunt him and play around with his ego, if he threatened her then she would slaughter him mercilessly. Or so she tried to make him think.

A smirk came to Brain's face, fear would not best him this time. He didn't know why Shalltear was here but there were a few guesses he could make. Either that man Momon had forced her into serving him after their battle or she was after something within the kingdom, which would explain why she was in that forest before. Either way he knew that she wouldn't kill him, if she did that then her cover would be blown and her mission would be a failure. He decided to call her bluff and keep his hand on his blade, a sign of his defiance towards her.

Brain's plan worked, and the bloodlust faded. Knowing that he'd achieved a moral victory, Brain's smirk became a delighted smile. Shalltear on the other hand was pissed. You could not see past the mask on her face but she was gritting her teeth, wanting to crush the human who would dare get this cocky in her presence but there was nothing she could do.

"With that I hope you all can lend us your support!"

A roar of applause met Gazef as he ended his speech, prompting him to smile and take a glance over to his companion.

"Oh you seem to be in high spirits, Brain."

"Hm? Oh yeah, you could say I'm feeling invincible right about now."

"Glad to hear it."

Indeed, Brain was feeling quite invincible, strength came from more than just physical prowess and he'd proven it if only to one person. This would not be the last time the two would come into conflict with one another, Brain had not only insulted Shalltear but he also knew her identity. Should Brain reveal her, it would become a big problem, and so now she found herself at the mercy of this lowly human. The rage she felt from her own helplessness was almost enough to make her explode, and it was through this feeling that she began to hear a very familiar voice in her head once again. Putting her hand to her head, the anger that reigned her subsided and a strange calmness overtook her instead.

"Nightfall, are you alright?"

Momon had not overlooked the interaction between Shalltear and Brain, in fact he was interested in exactly what relationship the two had. If they knew each other then it meant that human likely encountered her on the night of the mind control, making him a suspect with answers Ainz wanted.

"Yes, Momon. I simply worry that making an aggressive move against the Theocracy early will lead to a shortage of warriors to defend against the Empire who will surely take advantage of the situation. There is also the criminal market eating away at our resources."

For a moment Momon was stunned. While there was merit to that thought process, Shalltear was certainly not one to make a prediction based on analysis. He thought back to his private conversation with her and recognized the change in personality. For it to happen again here scared him quite a bit.

"The purpose is for a strike team to deliver a decisive blow and force the Theocracy on the back foot to give the Kingdom breathing room and avoid a full scale assault. The Kingdom won't be able withstand forces from either opponents, as a result we must go on the offensive or risk being wiped out. If we are successful then we may worry about internal affairs."

"I do understand that, however would it not be more wise to try using the criminal underground to our advantage?"

That statement caught the attention of more than a few people.

"It is true that group of criminals...Eight Fingers has quite a few dealings both in and outside of the Kingdom, that being said it should not be a surprise for them to have some bit of political power in the Empire and possibly the Theocracy as well. If we could have them assist us then mutual benefit could come to both sides."

Without delay a large man in robes came into view. His belly was fat and his clothes gave away his status as a noble among the kingdom immediately.

"It sounds as though you are in league with those people, do you perhaps have an adequate reason why the Kingdom should rely on those willing to betray their homeland?"

"As I said before, their influence likely spreads to enemies of the Kingdom as well. Since we have weaker military strength our options are limited, if our manpower is lacking then we could attempt winning through other tactics. With a war as the main concern for the country, production of resources becomes an even more vital necessity, a necessity that could very well be targeted."

Shalltear's suggestion was a scary yet effective plan. Should resources be seized and threatened, then the difference in military strength wouldn't matter. It didn't matter who's soldiers were stronger or more plentiful if they all starved, had no equipment or were allocated away from the war front. As an added bonus, any and all supplies lost by one nation could go directly to the Kingdom. The plan was only a problem from a moral standpoint as it involved coordination with a criminal underground.

"Say we did decide to go through with it, how could we even go about getting Eight Fingers to lend us a hand?"

"W-warrior Captain!?"

Gazef was the ideal model soldier but even he had his limits. Gazef's determination came from his will to protect the Kingdom above all else, even if the methods were questionable he would do whatever was necessary for the Kingdom to survive.

"I doubt they would miss the opportunity to reap the benefits of another failing countries economy, simply bringing it up to them should definitely sway them to consider assisting us."

Just a minute ago Shalltear was a bundle of hate of anger but now she was the center of attention in a strategic meeting to decide the fate of the kingdom. Most were surprised to see that a mere copper plate could offer such a sound strategy, but none were more surprised than Momon. To him, she was an entirely different person. The Shalltear he thought he knew so well had become a cool level-headed tactician in the blink of an eye, a change that left him speechless.

"Alright then, Darkness and Blue Roses will commit to this new strategy. Two adamantite class groups should be able to handle those thugs and deliver our proposal. They will have 24 hours to complete this task, should they fail we will go through with the original plan, are there any questions?"

The room was silent, no one could think of anything to say if even Gazef was on board with the idea.

"Good, then everyone else start preparing for departure immediately, you only have a day to get ready for the upcoming assault."

With that, the war meeting had come to a conclusion and Momon could only stare at Shalltear, still speechless.

"Um..Lord Ai- Momon? Are you okay?"

And then just like that she was back to herself.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

History was not Tanabe's best subject, that much was self evident in her difficulty in keeping up with everything these overly-religious Cardinals had to say. If everything they said were to be believed, then that meant this body belonged to the Goddess of Wind, who was somehow both the fastest of the Six as well as the only one who wielded heavy weaponry. On top of those little outlines the only other thing to be learned was that she wore gleaming silver armor and a helmet that never showed her face.

While the information wasn't particularly detailed it did give her a few concrete facts to nail down.

Firstly, this body had a class similar to Tanabe's Shadow Knight, while she was not certain of the exact class it was clearly a knight of some kind which matched up with her own.

Secondly, these gods they believed in were players from Yggdrasil, something that should have been blindingly obvious and yet was still kind of a shock to realize. Tanabe had known plenty of players with awkward avatars in the past but a small girl wielding greatswords and battleaxes had to have been the most ridiculous. Just imagining having to use a weapon twice or three times her size sounded like a nightmare.

Thirdly, this Theocracy was the wall between humanity and the vast majority of demi-humans who could overrun them otherwise. What made this so important is the simple fact that the Theocracy could not simply be destroyed and taken over by another country. The Theocracy probably had the strongest warriors of any other nation and trying to eliminate them would only lead to bigger problems afterwards anyway.

And finally, the original Goddess of Wind was a demi-human. This in combination with class explained why this body was forced onto her, it was the only one that fit. While these people hadn't and or refused to believe it, the reason why the goddess never showed her face was simply because she knew the consequences that could come along with it. Honestly she could not blame her, with how these fanatics constantly slandered any non-human entity that came up it was a miracle she lived and died without ever having her secret revealed.

Now the problem was figuring out how to bring these truths to light without immediately being sentenced to death. She bit her lip and thought silently while the council debated what to do with her. Another idea came to mind, it was risky but she'd have to play god just one more time.

"Well regardless of who I was before, this is what I've become now. It would not be wise to defy me, lest you bring ruin upon yourselves."

 _That sounded kinda cheesy…_ But it still had an ample effect.

"I will not accept your notions of pretending to be the goddess who so graciously risked her life for us." Another old man opened his mouth.

"Fine then, if you will not listen to words then why don't you bring me a warrior to prove the strength of your nation. No mere knight could stand up to me, you would only be making an example out of them because you refuse to accept the truth in front of you."

That was a very commanding statement, it got the council murmuring amongst themselves. Now whether or not they believed, they were at the very least frightened. Really Tanabe had quite the simple plan. This body whether for better or worse was still level one hundred, that meant any average warrior wouldn't even be able to harm her. In fact, the only person who could probably threaten her was possibly the Captain of the Black Scripture or Zesshi and she was locked away to protect their precious artifacts. It would be easy, demonstrate her power to these people and have them acknowledge her as their goddess. Once that was out of the way she would have more freedom, that would be her chance to try and figure out whether or not she could get her old body back somehow. If so then these old fools could be left with a fresh corpse and tanabe could make her getaway unscathed.

If not...Well playing judge, jury and executioner had always been one of her favorite past times back in Yggdrasil anyway. It was a win-win, assuming there was no conflict with Ainz and his tomb anyway. _That felt like foreshadowing…_ Tanabe was already nervous.

"Even if she demonstrates her power, no one will accept this, our goddess being a demi-human will cause mass panic."

"Indeed, if we aren't careful we'll have more enemies inside the country than out."

"A civil war in this day and age? That would tear the Theocracy apart…"

The gossipping over Tanabe's declaration was terrifying, would the people of the Theocracy really be pushed to such lengths over such a small detail? Yes, they would.

"Might I offer a suggestion then?"

The Captain spoke up yet again, his face radiating confidence.

"If it pleases our Goddess, then she can test her strength as a part of the Black Scripture. Rather than reveal her existence to the masses would it not be best to have her work as an agent, completing the duties she always has?"

 _Dude, shut up!_ That was not a suggestion she liked at all, she would rather have let the country go into a civil war.

"Yes...Marvelous idea. She will have her stage, and the purity of the order can be kept."

Tanabe's eye twitched involuntarily. She was the supposed to be the one calling the shots and yet instead she was being given a task against her will.

"Fine, then. I'll allow you to see for yourselves, that way you'll understand who you should be worshipping."

She couldn't deny this. Turning down a suggestion they liked would be the same as acting like a brat, now rather than showing off on a stage she would be forced into actual combat with outside forces. _So much for playing god…_

"Then the matter is settled, Captain it will be your task to equip and then lead her into battle. When the time is right we will know the truth behind this matter."

The council was far from done discussing this but Tanabe wouldn't get to hear the rest of their little chat. Rather than sitting on a throne eating grapes and punishing heretics she'd be thrust into battle like a true soldier.

"Ha...I just got here and it's already become a massive headache…"

"Hm? What did you need?"

"Oh nothing, lead the way young man."

This was some treatment for a god.

Zesshi still doesn't know Tanabe is a girl, lol


	11. New Gear

I got a massive headache but I don't wanna miss a day, I apologize for worse writing

than usual ahead of time

Please Enjoy

 _This is ridiculous._

The poor former admin couldn't believe the treatment she was getting. These people didn't seem at all concerned with the idea that they could be fighting alongside one of their deities, in fact they seemingly only saw her as a fill-in for a lost member. She could probably take them all on with a hand tied behind her back as long as she had a usable weapon, but a girl with that kind of power didn't even faze them. The only assumption Tanabe could make for the rather rude treatment she was getting was due to their reluctance to accept a little demi-human girl with above average physical power as one of the Six and would rather deny the whole situation altogether, a stubborn and admittedly childish way of thinking. Well it could be worse. She could be stuck listening to those old men and women ramble on for hours about the sanctity of their belief or whatever it was they were trying to say.

If only they'd allowed her to use a higher tier weapon rather than some random unenchanted garbage so she could show off her strength a little more. Well it was fine, regardless of whether or not they accepted her she didn't plan on sticking around for too long as one of their puppets anyway. For now she would play along and let them feel in charge, by the time they realized the error of their ways she would be long gone. All she had to do was slip out and keep clear of Ainz, there'd be no way he'd take it easy on someone who sabotaged one of his guardians.

"If I didn't have to rely on just my stupid physical strength I could've just cast a fancy spell or something…"

"What was that Madam Tabe?"

"Nothing, nothing."

And now she was also stuck with that little nickname too. When she was questioned about her name she didn't know what to say, so she took inspiration from Ainz's decision to refer to Narberal as Nabe. Now she was Tabe, so original and well thought out right? Well the copying wouldn't stop there, Tabe also found herself in a small room testing her strength with weapons while a servant attended to her. One swing even with an average iron sword was more than enough to blast away the training dummy... And the wall and even break the sword itself. _Oops._

"It would seem you weren't exaggerating about your strength after all."

"Oh, Captain. I don't think this equipment is nearly powerful enough for me to use efficiently."

"Yes, I will have to make a request to get you something better."

Tabe and the Black Scripture Captain sat silently for a few moments.

"So uh...You have a name or were you born a Captain?"

"Amusing, although calling each other by name would be unprofessional."

Tabe really didn't like this guy, he gave off a Demiurge kind of aura.

"Well, I will go make sure more adequate equipment will be provided for you soon. Once we find something suitable, it would be in our best interest to see your talent for martial arts."

"Martial arts huh...Alright I'll wait."

With that, the Captain left. His creepy demeanor aside, he was clearly plotting something and made no attempt to conceal it. Tabe already disliked the idea of having to be this guys "subordinate" for any longer than she needed to. The longer she stayed the longer she would have to spend working with him and she'd had more than enough experience with incompetent supervisors in her previous life. Learning a few martial arts would be a big plus at least.

"I do envy you Madam Tabe."

"Huh? The Captain say something I didn't quite get?"

"The Captain seems to have eyes for you ma'am, he is looking for a wife after all."

Tabe almost vomited.

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The mission would be for Darkness and Blue Roses to track down an informant, get info on the whereabouts of an Eight Fingers executive and coerce them into helping the kingdom, shouldn't be too hard... Well actually it wasn't hard at all, in fact it didn't even take effort on their part.

Somewhat surprisingly it turned out that the noble who'd been questioning Shalltear's plan back in the war meeting also happened to be an associate of Eight Fingers, meaning they already knew all about the little plan the heroes strung together. This should have made their job a lot harder, instead the group was surprised to actually receive a letter of invitation. They would attend an official meeting between the leaders of the organization, a task that would have originally belonged to Aura and Mare.

"Isn't this a trap?"

Lakyus was the first to jab at the obvious setup they were being lead into.

"Whether or not it's a trap, this is the perfect opportunity to take down the whole organization if they refuse!"

"Don't be foolish, Gagaran. It is unlikely they would take this chance without a fallback plan."

"Then Nightfall, Nabe and myself will be the ones to converse with them. It is best we don't allow them to herd us all into one place, you all should surround the area to be sure they do not escape."

"Wouldn't that just be throwing your life away? If they planned to eliminate all of us then-"

"That will not be a problem. They have made a grave calculation if they think they have what it takes to defeat me."

Momon's confidence spoke volumes about his character, it was the kind of confidence reserved only for those who could be deemed as truly strong. The idea of him and his companions venturing right into the palm of their enemy's hand sounded beyond foolish, but with the way he spoke no one else could even imagine him failing.

And so, with the doubt of his capabilities cast aside it would be up to Momon and his two partners to "persuade" the leaders of Eight Fingers, assuming it would really be them and not just a bunch of body doubles leading them into a trap. Momon saw opportunity either way, even if this was all a hoax it would not be too difficult to send a message and be sure he had their attention and he didn't even to worry about Blue Roses getting caught up in the crossfire.

With his plans finalized, Momon took one small glance over towards Shalltear. She'd been oddly quiet for awhile now, a sign that she may revert to that strange personality yet again. The timing couldn't have been worse but he couldn't waste the mental energy worrying about her for now, instead he would use the intimidation to his advantage.

 _He's so cool..._ Evileye still managed to become infatuated with him before even seeing him fight, another issue he would have to deal with later.

And thus Momon currently found himself surrounded by thugs and brought before the biggest crime bosses in the country, a new useful set of pawns.

"So the muscle head thinks his big swords and scary armor is enough to get whatever he wants? The standard for adamantites has dropped a bit hasn't it?"

"We can do a lot more than you think, why not work for us? You'll be set for life you know."

These people had no class, they went through life killing and stealing to earn their fame. It took all Nabe had not to crush the skulls of the worthless humans slandering her master this way. The killing intent of her and Shalltear combined was already enough to make the thugs surrounding them quiver in their boots.

"That won't be necessary, in fact you'll find that your cooperation is the only choice you really have."

"Oh? And why exactly is that Dark Hero?"

None of them seriously saw the adventurers in front of them as a threat, they were simply a means for the organization to interact with the rest of the kingdom without endangering themselves, a mistake that would have normally gotten them killed. Fortunately for them, Ainz had use for their services not just for the kingdom but for Nazarick's potential gain. With a wave of his hand the helmet was gone and his true face was revealed to the now shocked crime leaders.

"Because, the Kingdom has just become the least of your concerns."

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Finding new more powerful gear was always a beautiful feeling, unless of course you were stuck in the body of small girl while being forced to carry around a weapon double your size.

Tabe sat on a bench staring across the room at her new weapon stuck into the floor in front of her. Without being given much a of a choice on what manner of weapon to wield the Captain was kind enough to bring her what was apparently a sword that belonged to her predecessor, the original Goddess of Wind. It shouldn't be a surprise, after all the other Black Scripture members used items provided by their gods as well.

The weapon itself was a giant single edged sword, the kind of weapon you would assume only someone the size of Momon could use, and he had two. It was dark in color, a few symbols glowing in the metal. Tabe figured that the sword might have been Legacy tier at most, still far better than any other gear she'd gotten. Honestly even if it wasn't of the highest tier it at the very least had a seemingly powerful wind enchantment, meaning the blade swung much faster than it would otherwise but her main concern was still just the sheer size of the weapon. Gameplay wise it might not have been too big a deal, you could equip the weapon and just start swinging but…

"This thing is enormous…" This wasn't just a game world anymore.

Just standing by it, one could already see the problem with someone so small trying to use a weapon so big. Trying to open an inventory didn't work, already a huge concern but it wouldn't be so bad if she didn't have to carry around this damned sword. Even with the physical strength to wield it, there was no place to put it. She couldn't just put it on her back because she was too short, meaning she would have to constantly carry it around in her hands, it just looked really dumb. As it was now, Tabe would need a stepping stool just to reach the handle...At least the armor fit well and didn't slow her down at all.

"Having to drag this thing around for any period of time is just a cruel and unusual punishment."

Indeed, she felt as though she were being trolled by a player who wasn't even alive. Between the tiny body, the giant sword, and her lack of ability despite being level one hundred Tabe felt like tearing her hair out. As if that weren't aggravating enough, the Black Scripture wouldn't sit there and wait for her to get used to her new situation, the little attack squad had a mission to fulfill.

Using 「Greater Teleportation」and a few other low tier spells, they would get them into the kingdom undetected, after which their goal would be to observe the enemy forces and then...Eliminate any targets that posed a significant threat.

It was a dumb plan, suicide actually. The reason for it was obvious, however. It would be a test for their new recruit, a way to see the truth behind her words. If Tabe was just the monster they thought she was then they would abandon her to die at the hands of the enemy and they could preserve the image of their so-called goddess at the expense of a few items, however if she truly were the reincarnation of the Wind Goddess then she would secure victory for the Theocracy right then and there. She should be able to easily take down anybody even without any skills, Ainz did it as Momon without a problem.

Except that was just the problem, now she couldn't avoid fighting Momon.

Tabe versus Momon? The world isn't ready for that….


	12. Tabe VS Momon

Place your bets, place your bets

Please Enjoy

 _The Captain is a pervert._ That was the conclusion Tabe made after spending just an hour preparing for the suicide mission that lay ahead of her, something that bothered her enough already. It wasn't as though he outright harassed her but it was uncomfortable having him actually care for her safety since they'd known each other for less than a week, still better than Zesshi though.

"You know Zesshi was quite distraught when she learned you were a woman as well."

"Are you...Are you a mind reader?"

"What do you mean?"

Now he was even more untrustworthy, that coincidence only served to scare her more.

"Why don't you have her out here? She's supposed to be the strongest, isn't she?"

"That is true, but Zesshi herself is a legacy of the Six Great Gods, allowing her to roam freely with her attitude would be reckless."

Having a bloodthirsty godkin on the loose would surely be a horrible idea, but it couldn't be any worse than sending a god themself out into combat, could it? Well she needed to keep in mind that they didn't quite see her as a god, it would take a little more than being able to wield the equipment to convince them of anything.

The walk didn't take too long, within a few minutes her and the Captain reached the courtyard, the place where she'd meet her new "comrades" before they tried sending her to her doom. Tabe didn't plan on attacking anyone, the moment they teleported in she would get out of there as fast as she could, no one would be able to stop her…

Her thoughts trailed off as she laid eyes upon her new team, her hope along with it. She expected seven or eight men to be accompanying her out of the twelve available seats, but there were only three people in front of her including the mage who would be getting them to their destination.

"Captain...This group is small."

"Yes, a large group would be too easily detected. Please do introduce yourselves."

"Second seat, Time Turbulance, at your service."

"And fourth seat, DIvine Chant, pleased to meet you."

"Uh huh...I'm Tabe…"

Tabe couldn't even take the time to make a proper introduction, her eyes were firmly glued to the girl DIvine Chant. It's a good thing her helmet blocked the expression she was making. The robes she was wearing were very familiar. _Downfall of Castle and Country_ , the world item used to mind control Shalltear. _So that's their plan, I should have known._

The council wasn't dumb enough to trust that she'd play along, and now they had a way to make sure she didn't try anything suspicious. Should Tabe decide to turn her back on them,they had a world item to keep her in check. _Will the effect even work on a player like myself?_ She didn't want to take the chance.

"They got me..."

Now she couldn't even afford to try running, one suspicious action and she could kiss her free will goodbye.

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Today had been a great day for Ainz. In one day he'd made himself into a beacon of hope among soldiers and adventurers alike, gained the trust of another adamantite group, took control of a crime syndicate and he didn't even have to go to the front lines to fight a losing war! This was a good day indeed, and he had Shalltear to thank for suggesting such a convenient plan.

Taking a glance over, he took in the sight of the true vampire sitting away from him. Besides being unnaturally quiet, Shalltear occasionally stared at her hand in deep thought, an action he found to be rather curious.

"Shalltear."

She didn't answer, still in deep thought. For a moment he considered dropping the armor and teleporting in front of her just to see how she'd react, however he decided it best to simply walk towards her like a civilized person instead. He'd only made it halfway to her before it became visible.

He saw the ring, an item he knew hadn't been given to her in recent events. _An item from Peroroncino then?_ He had certainly left her with plenty of cosmetic items, but that tiny accessory just seemed...Out of place. Now he had to ask her about it, an item that held some significance wasn't something to keep quiet about. Before he could get any closer the front door suddenly swung open.

"Lord Ainz!"

The moment was ruined and Shalltear was paying attention to the outside world again. If there was ever anything to be saddened by, it was a lost opportunity, a salaryman knew this well.

"Nabe, do not speak that name so loudly."

"I apologize, but your presence is required immediately!"

It wasn't like Narberal to sound panicked, Ainz put his disappointment aside and got moving.

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"Captain, are you sure it was fine to leave her out there alone?"

Tabe had been abandoned, although it was not for the reason she suspected it to be. It was narrow-minded on her part to have assumed that her existence was of such concern that they would go this far just to test her. No, Tabe's involvement was just a happy coincidence, one they would take advantage of as much as possible.

"I've seen her strength firsthand, I am confident in her victory."

The Captain of the Black Scripture was not a man to abandon his comrades but his orders were absolute. Getting to the royal family of the kingdom and delivering their "message" was the true purpose of this mission, Tabe's success was only a secondary objective. If all went as planned then there would be no reason to worry, the council had planned today's events down to the worst possible outcome. The Theocracy would win, of that he was certain.

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"Crystal Lance!"

Evileye sent the offensive spell soaring through the air, expecting to at least graze her target. The result was her enemy reacting at an inhumane speed and putting several meters worth of distance between herself and the original space. Fighting in the middle of the street minimized effective space for dodging but this opponent had the speed to make up for it.

"Gagaran, can you stand?"

"Yeah...I owe you one, shorty."

The enemy before them defied all the expectations Evileye expected after receiving reports of an enemy force within the city. The amount of soldiers and adventurers taken out in one fell swoop would lead one to believe that a battalion sized infiltration force had come out of thin air, instead there was just this one short knight.

"Has all this damage really been caused by that one person?"

"Sure has, the bastard broke right through the barricades and shrugged off any attack I through at 'em. I'm not sure where Lakyus and the twins are but I heard they went off to confront some other suspicious characters headed for Valencia Palace."

It was unfathomable to think just one knight could just charge through their defenses without help, of course the safety of the royal family was important too but an opponent like this couldn't just be left to do as they pleased.

"If that isn't enough, he just sits there and waits for us to attack again."

"He isn't trying to kill anyone?"

"Believe it or not, there hasn't been one fatality. The moment someone surrenders he moves on like nothing happened."

"Forcing us to surrender for no potential gain? It sounds like a sick joke."

If everything Gagaran told her was to be believed then this person was doing little more than stepping on their pride and destroying buildings just to crush their will. _What a villain._

"Listen, I don't think we can take this guy on without more help."

She could tell this person far more powerful than any opponent she could've hoped to defeat but there would be no shame in trying to stop them anyway. At the very least she could attempt to put up a convincing fight, a thought she would come to regret very soon.

Another lance was thrown, this one she hoped to use a diversion for a crystal dagger. Her opponent was far too quick for such a setup, enough that Evileye immediately cast 「Crystal Wall」to stop her advance. She broke right through it. With one swing Evileye found herself flying backwards into Gagaran, who then caught and held her like a princess.

"Why don't you ever listen? I give great advice too, you know."

Normally Evileye would give an annoyed response to Gagaran's banter, but this was certainly not a moment for her to be playing around. _I didn't even stand a chance, that power was monstrous._

That one swing alone broke her arm, damage she hadn't experienced since her time with the Thirteen Heroes. Sure her natural regeneration was more than enough to cover for broken bones, but it dawned on her that this was not a battle they could win.

"Are we supposed to run…? From one person?"

Well she didn't have to consider retreating for very long, Momon came in with the superhero landing.

"There he is...no going back now."

Tabe mentally prepared herself for the battle to come. Thus far she was very careful to make sure no one died while still doing ample enough damage to the city that her "allies" wouldn't turn on her, but now they were nowhere to be seen. _What are they up to..?_

Well at least she wasn't the only one missing her partners, Momon had come alone. Knowing him, Tabe knew very that it was likely due to him wanting to raise his reputation or some nonsense like that. If that were the case then Nabe was probably sent on a manhunt for any other enemies that may have infiltrated the city.

"I am surprised you would outright attack us here and now, you must be awfully confident."

Momon was the first to talk, Tabe didn't care for his words, instead she went on guard.

"Not the talkative type, then you have this last chance to surrender."

Honestly, she considered it. Surrendering meant being taken into custody, away from the Theocracy and into the arms of the Kingdom away from Ainz as well. It could work, but that would be admitting defeat. It'd been far too long since she got to take a real fight head on, even in Yggdrasil most players were far too frightened to fight seriously due to her status. Before she could even think to surrender, she'd try her hand at beating a wannabe warrior in the same boat as her.

Momon took in his enemies presence and began to make predictions on their first move. Their unusually small stature starkly contrasted the large sword, meaning that they would very likely fight in a way he was not prepared for, an excellent chance to learn. Assuming his enemy would try using size to their advantage, a low attack close to the ground would be the best way to catch a much larger opponent off guard, thus he prepared for that.

His opponent was not so interested in fighting a strategic battle. Momon only barely reacted in time to place a blade in front of him and stop the enemies sword from piercing right into his chestplate. _He's fast…!_ A direct attack straight from the front was not expected, but even that didn't compare to the speed of that strike, it was comparable to his fight with Clementine.

With the first attack blocked, Momon swung his other blade down towards his opponent, Tabe blocked the strike with just her arm.

"If you don't fight like you're trying to kill me, your attacks won't do a thing."

Just hearing Tabe's voice was enough to throw Momon's concentration off, enough so that Tabe could push forward and throw him off balance. Forcing Momon onto the back foot gave her plenty of time to throw a heavy attack and send him stumbling backwards, but even that hardly put a scratch in his armor.

"That armor's hard...How hard do I have to swing just to get through…?"

Momon regained his bearings after getting his footing, strength like that could not be expected from someone so humorously tiny. On top of that there was the voice. The voice was changed in a noticeable way, the same way his voice changed slightly while he had his helmet equipped but it didn't do enough to hide the childishly high pitch. While he was incapable of feeling bad for his victims by now, it wouldn't be very hero-like to kill a child. Well there was no time to focus on that, kid or not this opponent couldn't be taken lightly. This time Momon took the initiative, closing the distance and initiating a close quarters duel.

The sound of metal clashing furiously echoed through the air, no one could deny that the spectacle before them was a fight between two larger than life characters. Evileye contained her urge to cheer on Momon like a cheerleader and instead tried to search for a way to assist him instead of just sitting there.

"Do not intervene, your assistance will only get in his way."

A familiar maiden became present among the spectators of the battle.

"Nightfall...Are you aware of the situation surrounding the royal family?"

"Nabe has gone to assist in defending the palace, if you are worried you are welcome to join her."

Having a copper plate treat her like a bystander hurt almost as bad as having her arm broken. Momon was a hero among heroes but he certainly chose some interesting women to keep by his side.

Shalltear on the other hand could care less about the other hero's opinions of her, the only thing that interested her was the identity of Momon's opponent who gave off a vividly familiar presence.

The clashing of blades came to an abrupt stop the moment Shalltear made her appearance. Momon didn't complain with his opponent's decision to back away, after all the fight was not going in his favor. In the few fights he'd gotten to test his strength thus far not even one person could hope to match his power, let alone injure him but now the cuts and scratches in his armor began to outnumber the ones he left on his opponent. Simply put, this person had far more experience in melee combat than he did.

"You must have fought many battles to earn that level of experience in combat, I'm impressed."

Again he tried conversing with his opponent, a warrior of this caliber would just be a shame to kill. His words were met with silence, Tabe slowly turned her head to face him again after taking a moment to look at Shalltear. This battle needed to end now.

"There's no reason to continue this fight, I'd prefer it if we stopped here."

"Oh? And you think you could escape now after the trouble you've caused?"

"If you were to let me leave, no one else here but your partner could stop me."

Tabe made a mistake, a crucial mistake. To the average person, Shalltear was just a copper plate in a dress and yet she clearly distinguished the possibility of her being able to stop the force of nature that was wreaking havoc on the country.

"Hm? You can tell her capability from that far? Your perception is uncanny."

"I have only...Made an assumption based on her um…"

"On her…"

"Level."

"You can tell what her level is?"

 _I should learn to keep my stupid mouth shut!_ Not picking her words carefully would cost her, if Ainz hadn't considered capturing her before he sure did now.

"Tell me, are you a player?"

He was figuring out her identity, this was the worst possible situation.

"Answer me."

Tabe attacked, there was nothing else she could do in this situation. Outright running would be impossible with Shalltear there, a distraction was necessary. So she went on the offensive, aggressive enough that Momon wouldn't even have the chance to counterattack. She stabbed and stabbed and cut and sliced, but fighting in such a ferocious manner left her open to counterattacks. For an average fighter, this battle would have seemed completely one sided, that is until Momon retaliated by using his arm to pick her up and throw her to the floor without regard for the injury he could take. The force of that throw was enough to put a crack in the bricked road and send her helmet spiraling off, it was the first time Tabe had felt physical pain since coming to this world.

Momon only took a second to take in the features of his opponent's unmasked face.

"I told you to answer."

Momon was undead, she could sit there trying to stab and cut him all day and never get anywhere. Feeling desperate, Tabe went for a last ditch attack. She turned her entire body to face Momon and swung her sword straight up through the dirt. The blade began to shine a horrifying white light. The entire street was upended.

To say this caught everyone off guard would be an understatement. This fight had been a slugfest from minute one, a contest of skill and raw strength. With that in mind no one, not even Tabe could have expected to see her completely blow away a block with one swing.

"What in the…You can do that!?"

Even she was surprised by what her blade was capable of, knowing how to do cool Wind Goddess things would have been much more helpful earlier.

Seeing her chance to run, she turned on her heel and went sprinting...Right into Shalltear's padded chest.

"GAH, smells like...Cherries."

"You have become a bigger threat to my master than I'd thought you would be."

 _I should have spent less time on staring at my own mess and more time on running._

Indeed she should have, now she was within Shalltear's grasp, it wouldn't be long before Ainz recovered and got his hands on her too.

"Listen, I know this is surprising but-"

Tabe stopped and stared at the hand Shalltear had on her wrist.

"My...ring?"

"Your ring?"

It clicked in that moment, Shalltear knew exactly who she was talking to. Why this person felt so familiar, and why he could match up to her supreme one in a contest of physical strength. That man who had all the answers she wanted, the demon who'd treated her like a servant and interfered in her life was standing right in front of her...And he was a little girl.

Tabe expected to be attacked mercilessly...Instead Shalltear started laughing at her.

Trying to push my minimum word count per chapter up from two thousand to three thousand


	13. Negotiation

Tabe has far more experience as a warrior but Momon is still a level 100 undead, it'll take a lot more than a few good swings to deal any real damage

Please Enjoy

Momon recovered from the destructive force of that last attack feeling motivated. A warrior that strong in league with the Theocracy was a major threat, but also possibly his biggest ally. Getting someone like that on his side would give Nazarick an extremely powerful agent who doubled as an expendable asset, after all he had no reason to care for her wellbeing.

"Momon!"

He'd forgotten all about the spectators.

"You're hurt aren't you? But you aren't bleeding…"

Indeed that last attack had torn right into the side of his armor, leaving a gaping tear that should have been gushing with fresh blood and yet was hollow. Obviously the reason for the lack of blood was due to him being undead, but none of them needed to know that.

"Indeed, my armor has a special enchantment, my wounds are already healed."

He couldn't think of anything on short notice, though he knew they wouldn't doubt his words and stood up to show he was just fine. The armor was magic based and could be repaired easily anyway, for now the scars would work to show just how hard he'd fought for the kingdom.

"So, it seems she ran after all. NIghtfall-"

He took a glance around and realized she was gone too, meaning she must have chased after his opponent. That knight was a cut above him by warrior standards but that was still not nearly enough to match up to Shalltear.

His concerns however, didn't stem from who he thought to be more powerful but from the consequences of letting Shalltear interact with another potential player. All of her weird behavior was something she pinned on a being tampered with by an entity that called itself a higher power. Since the result of said tampering was Shalltear calling herself a "program" there was no doubt in his mind that whomever she talked to had to be someone who knew the truth about Yggdrasil, another player.

If there were more players, then just how many were there and which of them could have been responsible for her situation?

"Speaking of which...Might that player also be the one she acquired that ring from?"

There were too many questions he didn't have answers to. That girl even if not a player herself knew something about them, on top of that she wanted to keep that information from him at all costs. There was no choice but to capture her and bring her back to Nazarick, with that thought in mind he ran off to find her, leaving Evileye and Gagaran confused and worried for his safety.

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A demon, that's the kind of supernatural entity Shalltear thought was interfering in her life. A higher power who enjoyed playing around with whoever he wanted, an entity she would risk her life to keep from sabotaging her master. This terrifying creature was a full head shorter than her and sounded about as threatening as Mare. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Ha...To think I began to worry whether or not I'd ever have to interact with you again."

Shalltear didn't sound amused at all, in fact Tabe knew this little reunion would be less than pleasant. Very shortly after realizing her identity, Shalltear had forcibly pulled her away from that now destroyed street and into an alleyway, a decision she did not expect.

"Now that I have you here again 'demon', you're going to answer some questions for me."

 _Questions? About the ring?_ It was surprising enough to have Shalltear not hold her in place for Ainz to cut in half, now she had questions too.

"After your departure I found myself with this little accessory. It began to show me visions I could not quite comprehend, now I have questions about you players and where you come from."

From the perspective of an NPC the end of Yggdrasil meant the loss of their creators, players forced back into the real world with no way to ever interact with them again. That ring was a part of the system, an item that did not belong here and it had given Shalltear a glimpse of a world she should never have had to see. A world that painted a very different picture of the otherworldly beings who dominated their lives, a world that truly made her question the reality in front of her for a reason she couldn't understand. Tabe would give her the answers she needed.

"So you know I'm a player then…"

"I told you before that I did not believe you were actually some sort of god, though I cannot deny the power you displayed when you freed me of that mind control."

Yep, power that came from the ring she was currently wearing. _So she doesn't know everything, just whatever she saw in those visions._

"Actually I can't definitively tell you much if you aren't more specific."

"You weren't born in this world the same as we were, I want to know where you came from."

That ring had shown her more than Tabe thought.

"That's...A hard question to answer."

The bloodlust was like an icy dagger.

"If anything, I'm surprised you asked me before your 'Supreme One'."

"He avoided the question, you will not."

Even if Tabe could fight relatively well, trying to take on a true vampire who could summon familiars, heal off of every attack and even cast holy based magic would be no different from putting a gun to her head.

"Okay okay, I get it. Look, this new body of mine kind of came from the mishap that let you get your hands on that ring. If you want an explanation it would take a lot of time and I don't think either of us want to be caught up in this longer than we need to."

Shalltear was quiet for a little while. It was true that they could not afford to simply sit there and tell stories all day, in fact every single minute of time they got could be considered a stroke of luck. The questions she wanted to ask had answers Ainz refused to give her before, if Tabe were to be caught here and now she would lose her only resource. Knowing that her options were limited, Tabe attempted to take advantage of the situation.

"We don't have time to brainstorm, why don't we just help each other out?"

"Trusting your words would be the same as inviting disaster."

She couldn't even deny that one, her interferences in this world were even more consequential than that of Ainz and he had an entire legion to command.

"I don't want you to do anything crazy, I just want to get us both what we want."

"And what exactly is it that you want?"

"As much as I love being a four foot leaf blower, I'd much rather have the body I spent several hours customizing."

Shalltear didn't understand any of what she just said. A "leaf blower" was already a questionable item, but what did she mean by customizing? Tabe's own humor would lead to an even more awkward conversation in the future.

"I mean, since you have that ring which shouldn't exist then there should be a way to also acquire my old body and the equipment it had right?"

"So what if there is?"

"However you got that ring, if you could do it again then I could get back what's mine. Once I'm out of this body, I won't have the Theocracy trying to lead me around on a leash and I'll be free. A new body is basically a get out of jail free card."

Yet another reference Shalltear didn't understand, she didn't bother asking either.

"And in exchange you would answer my questions."

"That's right. That little ring has a number of little tricks at its disposal, not just being able to use spells you wouldn't know otherwise but also summon a number of utility items and much much more. It may be hard to believe but that ring is what let me reincarnate into this world without penalty."

The key to Tabe's plan was to get back the Game Master's ring and use it to try recovering the avatar she'd lost halfway through when reincarnating, the ring put her in this body, it could get her out too. After that she could care less about answering the questions Shalltear wanted an answer to, the result would be Ainz's problem anyway.

"Expecting me to relinquish this item would be foolish, as long as I have it then I know you won't run away."

"I'm the only one who can use that thing, what do I have to gain by trying to run?"

Shalltear was being stubborn, understandably so but it was still a huge pain for Tabe. She had no intention of just running away but getting someone else to believe that in this situation would be difficult.

"I promise you I just want to reclaim what's mine, I have no reason to lie and nowhere to run."

Tabe could only hope that she would believe her, that she would simply take this one chance and let her have the ring. The response ended up being more bone chilling than she could have imagined.

"So should I take your word for it then? Because this power is something you believe only you can control, I should just roll over and listen to what you say, admin?"

"Admin" was the word she used, a word she hadn't expected anyone to use. Shalltear knowing that word was a sign that she knew even more than she'd let on, she didn't just see a world beyond this one, she saw it from the perspective of Tanabe Takahashi.

"Someone else's opinion can only be seen as a suggestion, for someone like yourself the only thing that matters are the rules set in place, is that all there is to you?"

She'd crossed several lines in just two statements, telling Tabe not just what she was but the kind of person she had once been. After coming to this world Tabe initially saw changes in her personality that shouldn't have existed, from being a detail oriented worker who was a stickler for rules and procedure to a lazy, bored individual who only wanted to watch the vents of this world play out and occasionally throw in an opinion.

It was like she herself was becoming...More like a dragon. Dragons had an indefinite lifespan, a trait that made them more and more lax as time went on. After so many years of existence it would only become natural for a living thing to become disinterested in its environment and slowly close itself off from the world and that's exactly what many of them did. Certainly there were cases of dragons who attacked cities, and lived a relatively feral nature but there were also those whose sentience would lead them to become more secluded, eventually they wouldn't even participate in the world's affairs.

The Platinum Dragon Lord within the Slane Theocracy was a good example of this, a dragon who over time found it best to stay in one spot and stay mostly to himself. If that weren't enough evidence of this case there was also Zesshi Zetsumei, a girl who'd lived for far too long and also became a prime example of this behavior.

Tabe was a dragonkin, which did not inherently mean she would exhibit traits of a dragon but they were still clearly there. The more that happened around her, the more she simply wanted to relax and have nothing to do with it, it only made sense to her now. Shalltear saw the kind of person she once was, that man who made no friends and countless enemies with his control-freak of a personality. It only made sense she couldn't trust someone like that.

"The person I used to be...Yeah I see now, I don't really deserve to get someone else's sympathy right now do I?"

There was no denying that she'd most definitely said and done some cruel things in her past life, at least she got her wish. Now she knew what that special something she originally saw within Shalltear was so long ago, it was not a design flaw or a misplaced character trait. Under that image of an arrogant, playful, perverted true vampire was a personality she'd never expected. _Guess Peroroncino was a better writer than I gave him credit for..._

"Alright, it's just up to you then. I have no options to explore here outside of getting caught by Nazarick, the Kingdom or the Theocracy, so without the ring I'm kind of screwed."

"I can't imagine you would so willingly go along with the Theocracy without a good reason, they are all insignificant humans aren't they?"

"I wish I could see them that way but it really isn't so simple. They have a few fighters I'm not sure I could take down, especially considering that I have no idea how to use any of the skills this body or this equipment has. It'd be like Momon trying to take down Cocytus, physical strength wont get me anywhere. That's not even considering the items in their possession..."

Shalltear took a moment to think.

"I see...Then you will come with me."

"To Nazarick then?"

"Not quite, I have another idea in mind. You will have to trust me."

The creepy tone of voice she'd had for half of the conversation sure wasn't reassuring but tabe couldn't complain, she simply didn't have the options to try and make a complaint. In the end there was very little she could do, trusting her future to Shalltear was a gamble she'd just have to bet on.

"Alright, let's do it then."

"Good, then you mentioned this ring summoning utility items…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Princess Renner would never have expected to come face to face with representatives of the Slane Theocracy, in fact she was certain that a civilized meeting between her country and theirs would never happen within her lifetime, but here they sat with the only one's separating herself from them being her trusty bodyguard.

"Climb...Don't do something you'll regret!"

"I'm glad I stayed for you after all, I can't imagine having left you alone to deal with these people."

Climb had his sword drawn, ready to defend the princess with his life. Across from him stood three people, members of the Black Scripture.

"It's best you calm down princess, we only wish to talk to you."

It wouldn't have made sense to corner her like this, these people didn't seem like assassins but there was no evidence to support them being otherwise. If they wanted to talk to her then it must have been for negotiation purposes, but why her? She knew why, because she was the Kingdom's Golden Princess, a symbol of justice and reform, a political figure whom the people looked to with hope in their eyes.

The Captain took a step forward and began to talk, looking past the young blonde warrior in front of the princess.

"We'd only like your cooperation for the Theocracy, it shouldn't be too hard to lend your help in changing this fallen country wouldn't you say?"

"What do you mean by change?"

"Exactly as I said, princess. Expending resources to destroy a weaker nation is an outcome that even we would like to avoid, so it is in our best interest to cut out the bloodshed and make what changes we can. The Empire is likely to follow suit if they realize the war would come right up to them should they continue."

The implications of that statement were massive. They wanted Renner to use her influence in social reform to make the people of the Kingdom reject the war and surrender without a fight. _Impossible._

"You are mistaken if you think our people would give up without even fighting."

A perfect patriotic response, one sure to make Climb see her even more highly.

"Yes, you are correct in saying so, after all there are warriors such as Gazef Stronoff who would see the fight through until death. However you will find that we three are not the only one from the Theocracy here today. One of our very own has been wreaking havoc on your city since our arrival, and that is just one of our elite. A single well trained soldier who can take on your strongest forces single-handedly."

He was stretching the truth a bit but Renner had no way of knowing that.

"Should you keep up your attempts at a meaningless conflict then you will only bring ruin upon yourselves. It is best you understand your position and go along with our plans."

"The princess won't betray her people to assist men like you!"

Climb just had to cut in and play the stereotypical hero. He did not realize that renner would definitely betray any and everyone she knew if it meant she could keep him locked away all to herself.

"You are quite confident, young man. Are you implying it would be smarter for your princess to throw away the lives of soldiers for the same result?"

"You don't know what we of the Kingdom are capable of, don't you dare underestimate us!"

"You are too confident, it is best to remember that all your most important followers are currently protecting the king."

Climb was rapidly turning this situation into a violent one, the look on Renner's face told the Captain of the Black Scripture everything he needed to know to end this pointless argument.

"Divine Chant, target the boy."

Those were the only words necessary for Climb to immediately raise his guard and stand his ground, not knowing the fate that awaited him.

The usage of a world item that could mind control anyone, regardless of mental resistances had turned Climb into a servant with no drawbacks to the user.

"You see princess, now your one knight has become ours. With that being said-"

"I'll do exactly as you say."

"Oh is that so?"

"I will, I only make one request in exchange for my cooperation."

"And that would be?"

Renner looked towards Climb and his blank expression, a shadow overlapping her face and a grin spreading across her cheeks as she imagined all the things she could do with a Climb who had become a completely obedient servant.

"Give me the leash."

Lot of dialogue in this chapter


	14. Tanabe's Return

Wonder how far Albedo has gotten into that journal

Please Enjoy

Time was not on their side, so the only option Shalltear could think of was to disappear for just a little while.

"And you are certain this will keep us hidden?"

"Yeah, I used it all the time to escape trolls. I know it looks silly but it works, really items like this should be available to everyone right off the bat to avoid getting PK'd, that practice really turned away some of the casuals."

Again Tabe was just throwing out more gibberish that Shalltear didn't understand at all, she'd slowly gone from demon to annoying little sister. With the help of the cheat ring they were able summon a _Parasol of the Hidden Kitten,_ a cutesy joke item from the Cash Shop that came with a very real effect. While under the parasol one would be protected from the effects of farsight, scrying, viewing, spectating or otherwise any form of tracking or stalking available from abilities or skills. It was a good item but the cat ears and face plastered on the top made it look silly.

"I don't think it'll work for very long but it should at least buy a bit of time."

While the parasol was extremely useful, it's effects could still be bypassed by other items or a spell above the fourth tier, luckily there were very few players who specialized in observational spells beyond that threshold. If Ainz wanted to find them he would likely need to either return to Nazarick first or use an item from his inventory to get a general idea of where they could be, either way it was time they could use.

Shalltear's plan was a very risky one for both of them, it required they lose any potential pursuers for an extended period of time while Tabe went through the process of trying to re-reincarnate with her original body. Honestly the whole concept still sounded ridiculous to Shalltear but it was a chance she was willing to take, after all if everything fell apart then all these mishaps could be blamed on the player in front of her anyway.

Getting all of this to work required the use of a utility item that could allow them to stay outside the view of prying eyes and a remote location with which to conduct the demon's experiment. Shalltear had been to very few places in this world and so the only suitable location that came to mind was the exact same cave that she'd met Brain Unglaus in. After an investigation carried out by the Kingdom the place was completely deserted, making it a perfect hiding spot in an otherwise wide open clearing.

Now all that was left was to give the little girl a chance to test her ridiculous theory.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I know it seems as though Shalltear is getting special treatment, however don't you think it is unwise to look for information that has no relevance to you?"

Demiurge was trying his best to talk some sense into Albedo, who'd spent hours reading up on admins and game rules and anything else she could get her hands on pertaining to the original game world. The thought of Shalltear being a step ahead of her had pushed her to new levels of commitment, the result being Albedo spending nearly no time outside of the library.

"Lord Ainz is putting in his own personal effort for the glory of Nazarick, it is only natural I do what I can even when he is not present."

"I do agree with that mentality, though if you exhaust yourself then your overall productivity would decrease."

"That's not a concern, my dedication will keep me going."

Indeed her loyalty was not to questioned, that much would be made very clear.

"I believe you know your own limits, just be careful."

Demiurge gave one final glance to Albedo before pushing his glasses up and making his way out of the library.

"I do hope Lady Albedo finds what she is looking for."

"Ah, Entoma. I did not know you were there."

He stopped for a moment to think before turning back to the buggy maid.

"if you have no other pressing matters I'd like you to come with me."

"It'd be my pleasure, Sir Demiurge!"

Her cutesy voice was bubbling with excitement, her last opportunity for a mission had been scrapped due to conflict within the Kingdom.

"Entoma, have you any idea what the term 'admin' means?"

"Er, I don't think so. Is it something edible?"

"No, not quite."

Everything may have seemed like a convenient mystery to everyone else but Demiurge had the highest IQ among all the NPC within Nazarick for a reason, and he'd already put together a rather accurate theory on the events centered around Shalltear and her false rebellion.

Lord Ainz was smart enough to deduce that Shalltear's mind control was caused by a world item when his _Wish Upon a Star_ was unable to cure her, so when she was somehow freed despite such a powerful items failure Demiurge had already concluded that an outside force must have saved her. Now that he was proven right, the combination of her odd behavior and Albedo's new obsession only left him with a few possible routes to explore when attempting to determine who or what was behind it.

Clearly the prime perpetrator was this admin character, but who would that be in contrast to his supreme one? It needed to be a character whose power exceeded that of a world item, no it needed to be someone whose own collection of items allowed them to bypass the effects of the world item, but where would those items come from? He already knew the answer, it was another player or a remnant of that player similar to the NPCs of Nazarick. Then the only question remaining was why they chose to help Shalltear in particular.

"Erm if you don't mind me asking Sir Demiurge, what exactly did you need me for?"

"Oh it's nothing to be too worried about, you've gained experience from watching Cocytus that I find to be useful for an experiment of mine."

Rather than sounding reassuring, Demiurge's statement came off as the ramblings of a mad scientist.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After slipping on the Gamemaster's Ring and attempting once again to reincarnate Tabe found herself in a rather awkward situation, a dark abyss with no tangible reality in sight.

"Well...This seems like the perfect time to throw out something philosophical."

Coping with her situation through comedic relief was less effective without Shalltear there to stare at her confusedly.

"Alright, focus...She said she saw an outline in the dark and there was a reflection of light…"

Tabe did her best to spin around in the dark and look for anything even remotely similar to that statement. Nothing, it was just darkness everywhere.

"Ugh, I don't even know how it's possible for a piece of metal to create little pocket dimensions...Then again that's basically what an inventory is, huh?"

Again Tabe was getting distracted. Shalltear's explanation of how she got the ring made it seem like she reached into this world and pulled the ring out of a neutral space in existence like an inventory, which was the scenario Tabe wanted to recreate. As ridiculous as it sounded, her plan was to find her old body and somehow pull it back into the real world with her like an item, something that sounded admittedly dumb when you said it out loud. After that she would just try reincarnating again, or something like that, she figured the details didn't matter unless she got that far.

"Alright, if I were a giant half scaly Shadow Knight, where would I hide? Somewhere dark."

The entire plane was dark.

"Ha...It's a bit early for me to be losing my mind...Wait a minute."

After closing her mouth for more than a couple seconds she could faintly hear her own voice, well not her current voice but the deep voice she was all too familiar with.

"Is that…"

She tried making her way towards the voice, trying to swim through the empty space to get closer. Trying to swim through what was essentially a vacuum didn't do much, in fact the odd motions were starting to push her backwards. Her impatience got to her and she adopted a running stance instead, this awkward process of trial and error lasted for almost five minutes before Tabe finally rammed her face into what felt like a wall in the darkness.

"Okay, ow."

She put her face in her hands for a moment to get over the shock of the hit before looking up again.

"The outline…"

She was getting a glimpse of what Shalltear meant, a shape in the darkness that was somehow visible.

"This is...The mirror?"

The Mirror of Remote Viewing she'd used to watch the events of the world play out when she first arrived.

"I can't believe it. It really is that room I was stuck in before! Which means…"

If this were the same blank world from before then she must have been in the right place after all. _Which means I should have been right over…_ Her eyes scanned the environment until another abnormality caught her attention, one much larger than the mirror she caught a hold of. She turned the mirror and put her feet against it. The mirror itself may have been of no use to her here but she could definitely use it as solid footing to jump off of, an action to send her slowly but surely to her new destination.

Yes, there it was, with his hand outstretched to the wall that should have been in front of him before. At last, the avatar of NemoNomu had been found once more. Containing her urge to celebrate Tabe jumped up and hugged her old body with childish enthusiasm.

"Please, please work. Don't leave me with an unsalvageable corpse."

She took a deep breath and hoped, then tried once again to reincarnate. Again there was a bright flash. This time the reincarnation didn't simply go through the moment she saw that flash, it had been stopped midway through and in that bright light that overtook her she saw a figure she couldn't quite recognize, a small figure that kept an outstretched hand. It was confusing, it was scary but Tabe had had enough of living in uncertainty. She took hold of that hand and pulled that being towards her. And then the light faded.

When Tabe opened his eyes again, his hand was outstretched and clad in red, a detail he took a moment to process before bringing both his hands to his face to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He opened and closed his hands several times before erupting with joy for his success, throwing his fists into the air.

"Yes! Yes, yes yes yes! WOOOO!"

Tanabe Takahashi was back, no more awkwardly staring up at literally everyone he talked to. He was so excited in fact that he didn't even notice his surroundings. For moment he stopped and looked straight ahead at the bright blue world in front of him, he even took time to comedically watch a bird fly by.

 _Don't look down, the cartoon characters don't fall until they loOK DOWWWWN._ He began to plummet. Spawning in a new body shouldn't have placed him at the top of the skybox but there was no physical body that existed there already so a new one had to be bestowed upon him, surviving a light fall shouldn't be too hard.

Below him, Shalltear still patiently waited near the exit to the cave.

"Hurry up already, if it isn't there then there's no need to waste excess time for nothing."

Tanabe had already been gone for twenty minutes, the general estimate for Ainz getting an idea of their location was only fifteen. The more time he wasted the less time they had to sort out what to do with this body before they were found.

Just as she found herself losing patience the girl opened her eyes once more.

"It didn't work did it? Then we'll have to figure something else out, there's no time to play around with that ring forever."

The girl slowly looked up from the ring and at Shalltear, her expression blank. The staring contest went on for about a minute uninterrupted. Slowly realizing that something was wrong, Shalltear turned to face her completely.

"What happened?"

The answer was demanding, but the demand would not be met. Shalltear took a step forward, the girl swung her sword, the cave was blown open.

The attack was of the same magnitude as the one Tabe delivered in her fight with Momon, the ground was torn and anything solid was shattered in the wake of the shockwave. Shalltear didn't take too much damage at all but it still sent her flying outwards into the clearing along with the debris.

"Alright then, it seems I was mistaken to trust you after all."

It only took a moment for her to be in her valkyrie armor with her lance ready. Again the staring contest began, this time with far more tension than before. Shalltear was confident of her victory, if this little girl thought she could get away with attacking her and keeping the ring for herself then she gravely mistaken.

She inched forward, ready to make the attack and then right as she was about to fly in she heard it. It was screaming. _Uh...Where is that coming from?_ She looked up, Tanabe hit the ground.

If today hadn't already been the craziest day of her life, it was only getting more hectic. First the Scripture had the audacity to invade the Kingdom, then she runs into the "demon" who'd caused all the mess she put up with, then she decides to run away from her own master to help that demon for selfish reasons, then that same demon goes soul searching for a body that doesn't exist, then the body of the little girl he was in comes to life without him and then the admin himself plummets to the ground in front of her. If she didn't have a migraine when this was all said and done it would be a miracle.

"You're...here and…"

Confusion didn't even begin to cover how she felt.

"Gravity, you cruel mistress…"

Tanabe got up feeling almost completely numb, there was no fall damage in Yggdrasil to his knowledge but that certainly didn't stop that fall from shattering his ribs. He could only feel lucky that he could even stand up afterwards. At least the pain was overshadowed by his excitement over finally being himself again.

"Oh, Seashell, how are you?"

When people are in high spirits, they say weird things.

"Did you just call me Seashell?"

And when people are confused, they pay attention to the wrong details.

"Uh huh, why is that body still alive?"

"You called me Seashell."

"Okay, I get it, no nicknames. Now, kindly explain why the corpse is still walking around?"

They stopped the banter to stare at the little girl who was waiting patiently. She said nothing, instead just staring down at the ring she'd acquired.

"Oh, I kind of need that."

Tanabe made his way towards her, he met the same fate Shalltear had not too long ago. Watching him fly by with a disappointed expression, Shalltear let out a sigh.

"Am I really awake? This just feels like an elaborate joke."

She turned towards her opponent unenthusiastically, getting that ring back would be a hassle. The first thing to do was use Life Essence to determine her opponents HP. The life on that girl was higher than a magic caster's but still much less than her own, should have made for an easy target. Then she lost sight of her.

"What?"

She used her arm to block the slice aimed at her neck, the resulting impact sending her sliding to the side. _That speed is ridiculous._

That speed was most certainly beyond what Tanabe was capable of pulling from that body, had she been a second late on that block she might have been decapitated by that blow.

"I see, while your health pool is smaller than an average warrior your speed more than makes up for it. I doubt any projectiles would even move fast enough to hit you."

"I wasn't trying to start a fight...I just wanted my ring back."

"Done napping in the dirt then?"

"I don't need you patronizing me too Seashell, today is a good day."

"You called me 'Seashell' again."

"Yep."

He was in too good a mood to care, once he got that ring back he was home free. The only thing that stood between him and that freedom was this little girl who was already far more imposing in that body than he'd ever been.

"By the way, while I was busy becoming me again, I actually found someone else trapped there too."

Shalltear wasn't talking to him anymore, likely out of salt over the diminutive nickname.

"So...What are the odds she already seems to know all the little tricks that body has to offer?"

"You're hopelessly stupid."

"You know what, this is why Ainz takes Albedo places instead of you."

"What did you say!?"

The bickering between the two did nothing but leave them open for another attack. The girl in front of them casually swung her blade and sent a gust of wind strong enough to slice into them like razor blades.

"Ouch, maybe we should deal with her first, then we can continue this little conversation?"

His sarcasm was unbearable. Shalltear spitefully looked away from him and wiped her cheek, cleaning the blood from a fresh cut.

They didn't need an explanation for who they were dealing with, those past few attacks were a clear enough indication already, the only reason they didn't question the logic behind how this person existed was because the two of them had already seen enough ridiculous things when dealing with one another to care.

The two versus one battle commenced.

I'm going on vacation starting from the 11th all the way until the 16th so the chapters may or may not come out during that time frame, sorry about that.


	15. Wind Goddess

I'm not really sure shipping Shalltear with someone else is a good idea, for now the love hate relationship sounds fun

Please Enjoy

Ainz was annoyed, so much so that he couldn't even bring himself to be actually angry. Before coming to this world he thought his leadership skills were good enough that there weren't too many issues that could come about, caution was his specialty. But this time he was not cautious enough, if he was more careful he might have been able to prevent this situation entirely.

After spending half an hour running around E-Rantel with nothing to show for it, he knew very well that bringing Shalltear along was a mistake. In his defense he assumed any real threat to her might have gone to the palace, which was why he sent Nabe there to survey the situation instead. Even then it seemed as though luck was not on his side, as now he'd lost track of both his target and his guardian with little information as to where they could be.

The worst case situation was that his assumption over that girl being a player was correct and that Shalltear was in a lot of trouble, possibly even having been captured. He could not let that happen, his reputation as a hero would just have to wait. He found a quiet little spot to cast「Message」.

"Albedo."

"Lord Ainz!?"

"I need you to prepare yourself for battle and be ready for my arrival, I'm returning to Nazarick and then we must make our departure again directly afterwards."

"Yes, Lord Ainz. I will be ready."

With no time to spare he decided it was time to stop playing hero and go on the offensive, the Kingdom with Nabe's help should be able to handle whatever came their way. The armor was dispelled and he opened a「Gate」.

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There was a clear gap in power when it came to this fight. Tanabe and Shalltear were definitely far more physically threatening but their opponent was far too fast to catch, resulting in a stalemate. Tanabe had ways of dealing with someone like this but it was too risky for him to consider.

Tanabe's real strengths came into play with his mastery of heavy weapons and his almost perfect strategy. His build was centered around trading blows with his opponents, meaning that he would allow himself to be hit and in exchange throw an attack of his own. Because he enjoyed playing judge, jury and executioner for his job, this meant he would often challenge offenders to a private match, if they won he would overlook the mishap but if they lost...No explanation needed. His win rate was just over ninety-seven percent.

Because this was the only real form of PvP that he could experience, it should have been no surprise that his build was optimized to handle these situations fairly well. In fact he invested quite a bit of time into making sure his character could win a one versus one against almost anyone barring the hardcore players with perfect builds, but those kinds of people never got in trouble so there was nothing to worry about.

When it came down to his fighting style, it was worth noting that he fought similarly to Brain Unglaus in that he put multiple factors into a set up to land a decisive attack. His strategy relied on two abilities as well as one of his own signature items.

The first of these was Fatal Strike, a passive skill that increased the damage on his first attack to an enemy dependent on the opponents missing HP. The nature of this skill made it into an execution type attack, one that could insta-kill anyone below a threshold. However it only applied to the first attack, so it was mostly used by rogues and assassins hunting low health priority targets.

The second was the ninth tier spell,「Sudden Death」. It was a spell that could only be cast when four or less players remained in a PvP match. Once activated the remaining players would have their health reduced to ten percent of their max HP, assuming they are above that amount, then the caster would be unable to cast any spells afterwards. In Yggdrasil the spell was more or less used as a comeback mechanic so that one player could theoretically win a one versus three due to the low health totals of their enemies, but even then it was a gamble that most people didn't find worth the hassle.

And lastly was his chestplate, the divine class artifact known as _The Gladiator's Rites._ An item he spent several months farming for just this build. The special passive on this piece of gear was that an attack that would kill him would instead reduce him to one percent of his health and prevent him from reduced any lower for three seconds with a cooldown period of half an hour. Compared to most of his other equipment the chestplate offered very little defense and could easily be passed off as a relatively weak item for people looking to survive being ambushed by higher level players, but this item held a sinister purpose for Tanabe's battleplan.

With all three of these effects in play he was a monstrous force in the ring, after the sudden death both him and his opponent only had one chance to win. More often than not, Tanabe would survive due to his chestplate and land a lethal hit due to Fatal Strike but he was not invincible.

While the item prevented him from being "reduced" below a certain amount of health, it did not prevent other instant kill effects nor did it stop a status effect from keeping him disabled for those few seconds of time. Luckily most people who found themselves having to test their mettle against him weren't the most serious of players anyway and as a result, stood no chance against him to begin with.

Under normal circumstances he would not hesitate to throw the dice but he found himself worried to do so this time around. There was only three of them in that battle but one was his ally and the other was a wild card, on top of that the consequences of his actions would not be a simple respawn timer should he fail to defeat his enemy. Also he didn't want to kill the girl, she was a new and interesting character in their little situation.

With his favorite strategy thrown out the window he was forced to actually try and fight his opponent who was far to quick for him to keep up with normally. Shalltear on the other hand was built for drawn out matches in which she could out-sustain her opponents, and while she did have plenty of holy based spells and other neat skills at her disposal she was very reluctant to go overboard for one opponent.

"Mind being useful instead of stumbling around?"

"I mean she's pretty tiny, I don't know what you expect me to do when she can literally slip through my fingers."

The two of them together were quite powerful, Shalltear alone would have been enough to take down Ainz as long as she didn't play right into his strategies, so adding another player to her side was not something a single person could deal with.

Against an opponent whose only real asset seemed to be speed, it should have just been a matter of time before her lack of stamina would slow her down and she'd be cornered immediately, however that concern wasn't very prevalent against these two.

The entire fight had been nothing more than Shalltear and Tanabe arguing over trivial things, and while Shalltear continued to bring up the fact that they were on a limited time frame the two just could not seem to put their differences aside. The damage they were taking wasn't exactly enough to make them focus either, almost as if they were ignoring the person in front of them.

"Okay then, you go for a wide sweeping attack and I'll find an opening as she dodges."

"Why do I have to be the distraction?"

"Because you have a giant axe that you refuse to use."

"I don't wanna accidentally seriously injure her, I just want the ring."

"I can't believe I'm risking the trust of my supreme one to talk to someone like you."

"Love you too."

Their lack of coordination didn't do them any favors.

"Wind Scythe."

And neither did their enemy.

"Hey, it looks like she can speak after all."

Indeed she could speak, and her intent was not for conversation. Her blade took on an almost transparent aura, and she charged towards the larger of her two opponents. Blocking the attack was impossible, Tanabe soon learned this when the blade went right through the handle of his weapon and slashed through his armor.

"..."

That attack was slow enough for him to react to and yet he was still punished for playing defensively. A tactical error like that was already enough reason to be upset, especially since he was now bleeding all over the ground for it. But worst of all, his favorite weapon was ruined.

When the second slash came he threw down the broken axe, caught her arm and then used his other hand to pinch her cheek between his fingers.

"Well now, do you know just how expensive it is to repair this?!"

In Yggdrasil, broken items either needed to be repaired or replaced. This means that if you were to lose a valuable item, you'd either need to waste an absurd amount of timing farming for it again or waste an absurd amount of money to repair it, both of which may have been out of the question in this new world.

"Good, you caught her."

"Don't just make such a blank expression! How am I supposed to replace this!?"

The only person who could probably understand his anger right now was probably Ainz, another hardcore player who would be livid upon losing one of his important divine class items. The little tantrum he threw when his wish didn't go through for Shalltear was a good example of how bad it could get.

For a moment the girl in front of him was entirely passive, as if she'd made a revelation towards the identity of the person in front of her. Without so much as blinking she continued to stare forward and remain silent while Tanabe got his ranting out of his system. Eventually he sighed in defeat and let go of her.

"I know in some convoluted way this is all my fault but I'm still really upset."

The two girls were staring at him with no particular expression. Watching someone his size turn into a whiny brat was mildly amusing, just not in this situation.

"You...Are familiar with Yggdrasil?"

"Uh yeah, wasn't that obvious?"

"No."

From her point of view, a random vampire and a warrior who fell out of the sky weren't the most trustworthy of people.

"Well if you're willing to talk about this rather than cutting me up then that would be far more helpful. My name is um...Whatever, It's Tanabe."

Trying to come up with an alias at this point was a waste of time.

"Oh and this is Seashell Batfodder."

They started arguing again. The girl in front of them just blinked as she processed his words.

"I wasn't aware there were more like us, we should inform my accomplices immediately."

She wasn't aware of her place in time either. It had been six hundred years since the arrival of the Six Great Gods, her not knowing this could easily be attributed to the fact that her memory hadn't really held up well after dying, that and she was the first to die anyway at a rather early age.

"About that…Oh man, that is a REALLY long story. I don't want to try explaining all of that...Jeez things got even more complicated when we decided to to be civilized rather than trying to kill each other."

Tanabe scratched his head awkwardly as he tried to figure out a solution to the current predicament.

"Well I'd like to at least get my ring back before we go that far."

"No, you could just run away."

"Oh come on! Why do you people just assume I'll run!? It's not like you wouldn't be able to keep up with me anyway!"

Being inherently untrustworthy was quite a pain, especially when it stopped you from getting what you needed.

"Fine then, Shalltear isn't it true that I'll live up to my word? If I didn't want to answer your questions I could have run by now."

Shalltear was not listening to Tanabe, in fact she was not even looking at him. She stared upwards, her eyes widened in what appeared to be fear. Following her stare, Tanabe laid his eyes on what exactly she was looking at and why she'd suddenly become so quiet.

"This is certainly not what I expected."

Those words were laced with an icy tone that seemed to contain something of an underlying threat. Time hadn't been on their side, and they'd wasted it bickering over nicknames and broken weapons, now their number one concern went from a quick little knight to someone far worse.

Hovering directly above them was the undead sorcerer Ainz Ooal Gown.

A little short because I'm packing things for the vacation and have less time.


	16. Confrontation

Chapter 15 was really rushed, this one kinda is too, sorry

Please Enjoy

"This is certainly not what I expected."

Ainz Ooal Gown arrived expecting to see a ferocious battle between his true vampire and that little knight, the latter of which was a possible player and the largest potential threat to Nazarick. Instead what he found was the both of them conversing with a third individual, a large warrior in red armor.

"I see, she must have been worried for you."

Ainz's statement was directed towards Tanabe, whom he assumed to be the ringleader. If that girl had run all the way to this man then he must have been the reason she was afraid to come forth about her knowledge of players. If he had to make a guess, that man in red was a player himself based on the design of his armor and that tiny knight was his follower, of course this was only an assumption he could make off a first glance. Ainz slowly hovered down to the ground and ended the Fly spell.

The assumption had some merit to it, after all when Ainz showed up himself he brought all of Nazarick with him. It wasn't too big of a stretch for another player to bring a follower, in fact it was fully likely that this man could also be a part of his own group or guild. If that were the case then the threat being presented to Nazarick was far bigger than he first assumed.

"So then, Shalltear."

She stood up straight almost instantly.

"Might I ask who this man is?"

"Well he's…"

She didn't have a good answer to give him, most of what came to mind would be very telling of her cooperation with an enemy. Of course it was just as easy to rat him out as the one responsible for her past ailments but then she'd lose her opportunity to question him later and this entire operation would have been for nothing.

"I am right here you know, why don't you ask me yourself?"

There was silence as the two made eye contact, it was the first time they'd met in person. Tanabe walked forward, knowing that Ainz was far too cautious to attack. They stood face to face for a few moments without uttering a word.

"Why don't we have a private talk over there, I'm sure you don't mind that."

Tanabe walked past Ainz without waiting for a reply. The odds of Ainz having come alone were low, so if another conflict were to break out he needed to make sure the little goddess didn't get involved. If someone like Ainz got his hands on the Gamemaster's Ring he would never see it again.

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Narberal Gamma never enjoyed interacting with humans, despite their insignificance they had the nerve raise their heads and behave with a sense of entitlement, this was especially true of these soldiers working beneath the king. Because they saw themselves as elite warriors, they looked down on adventurers and while Nabe herself was an adamantite they certainly didn't seem too happy to receive her assistance.

The only human that didn't annoy her with almost everything they said was Lakyus Aindra, leader of Blue Roses. Her revival magic was already enough reason to take interest in her, however she also possessed a dark sword wielded by one of the Thirteen heroes making her one of the most interesting characters Momon and Nabe had run into thus far. With seemingly no threats to the king in sight, Lakyus had begun lamenting her separation from her comrades.

"Ah Nabe, you were separated from your partners as well weren't you? I really hope they'll come back safe."

"They will."

Lakyus frowned, knowing Nabe wasn't much of a talker. If it were in her best interest to start keeping quiet, she wouldn't know any better.

"Oh hey, looks like the team leader's here after all."

"Gagaran, Evileye! What happened in the city?"

"We sure have a story to tell you, our shorty even got her arm hurt."

"How many enemies must there have been for that?"

Evileye and Gagaran were oddly quiet at that question, keying Lakyus in on the grim nature of their battle. A single enemy capable of taking on an adamantite team sounded like a child's fantasy at best and a flat out inconceivable notion at worst. Whoever could do such a thing and still manage to escape for any period of time had to be beyond what you would call a monster, and the worst part was that the person was even shorter than Evileye.

"No way...Is it possible this person was a godkin? If they were...Momon and Nightfall could be in danger."

"There will be no issue, Momon won't lose, especially with her at his side."

No harm in showing her blind faith in her supreme one. Except that faith would lead to curiosity, Lakyus would be the first to start the questions.

"I understand Momon...But what about Nightfall? Wouldn't it be smarter to send you over the strategist?"

"Lady Sha- Nightfall is no simple spectator, her physical power alone makes her a far more suitable partner than I."

Evileye suddenly took interest in that statement, her jealousy towards Nabe was in question now.

"What do you mean partner? Are those two...in a relationship of some kind?"

"Not just that, but you're sayin' that girl in the dress can stand up to a guy like Momon and she's not even a magic caster?"

Only then did Nabe understand her misstep, the same mistake she'd made when she accidentally used Albedo's name with that last group of adventurers who were killed by Clementine. A mistake she knew was unforgivable for a Pleiades to make, her voice grew quieter as a result.

"I know nothing of their relationship."

All she could do now was deny knowledge of the situation now, it was too late for her to pretend to be ignorant. Feeling the pressure, Nabe swiftly moved away from the group leaving them all with more information than they should have had.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Alright, now we can get down to business."

Tanabe led Ainz out of earshot of the other two, this battle had become one of words.

"Your friend attacked the Kingdom I bothered protecting, I'd like an explanation for that and more importantly your connection to Shalltear."

Ainz needed to bring up the tiny knight's involvement first as a reason for his deserved answers, after that it would only make sense to inquire on the relations of his "loyal" servant. Depending on Tanabe's answer, Albedo was ready and waiting to assist him.

"About her, let's say that her hands were tied and she needed an excuse to escape."

That was a smart answer, an explanation that would explain her request to end their battle without a clear winner. It definitely made Ainz wonder who could force her to do anything, her last strike against him made him very aware that she had been holding back intentionally despite her struggle. Of course what he did not know was that Tanabe was the one he truly fought, but he could not have possibly imagined that to be the case.

"I see, then another force is it at work here then?"

"Kind of, the Theocracy has a world item that forces mind control onto anyone regardless of resistances."

Tanabe made this detail extremely clear, knowing the effect it would have on Ainz. His plan was to make Ainz into an ally without having to join Nazarick by showing him that they had a common enemy, of course he wasn't speaking for the little goddess but dealing with the backlash from her was a concern for later. He took a glance over at the two women waiting, but they were not alone anymore.

"You two don't like one another."

A very obvious statement was made from the shortest of them, who found herself between Albedo and Shalltear. Things might not go as smoothly as Tanabe hoped.

"Then your connection to Shalltear, you were there when she was afflicted by mind control."

"You're right, I was. It wasn't easy but it looks like the mind control ended up wearing off after all."

"So you had a way of curing the mind control, was that method not viable for your friend?"

That answer caught Tanabe off guard, Ainz knew exactly what questions to ask to test the validity of his statements.

"We were separated after running into the Black Scripture, I was following those who'd gotten to her and stumbled upon your vampire companion."

It wasn't a believable excuse, and Tanabe had no way of knowing whether or not Ainz took it seriously. That skull face gave no hints to how he was feeling, there was nothing but an empty emotionless stare.

"And you followed them this far, meaning their forces were going to attack the Kingdom."

"...That's right, but it looks like they left her to die."

He wasn't lying, they most definitely abandoned her without a reason she would know.

"Is that so, then are you two the only ones in your group?"

This conversation was more like a chess game than an exchange of words. If Tanabe said yes then Ainz would extend his offer to join Nazarick under the guise of safety for him and the goddess, should he say no however...It was clear that Ainz would want to expand on his involvement rather than leaving him alone.

"Before that, I've already answered your questions and I don't know much about you at all."

"I suppose that is true."

His suspicion increased but Ainz had no choice but to introduce himself formally, there were no reasons to be too protective of his identity at the expense of this information. Even if it was not intended he most definitely gave an over the top description of himself, almost as if he were presenting a resume.

"And yourself?"

"Just call me Tanabe."

Ainz was stunned. That was clearly not a player name, it was a real one, this man had given his real name so casually that Ainz had to take a moment just to process it. Tanabe did not make this move unintentionally, if Ainz just so happened to recognize the player name of the fabled Gatekeeper then his interest would only skyrocket.

"I...Okay then, may I ask if anyone made it to this world along with you?"

"No, not with me."

With the way he phrased it he knew Ainz would take that to mean there were possibly others that were just not here at the very moment, which would make him hesitate on any inquiries. For a moment Ainz sat silently while analyzing the statement. Tanabe didn't notice the trick question.

"No one at all? It was just you?"

"Yeah, sorry. I got here alone."

"If you were alone then where did she come from?"

Tanabe comedically put a finger up as if he had an excuse to give.

"You are extremely sly with your wording."

Instantly Ainz's gaze hardened, now he knew that there was an inconsistency. The player before him could not be trusted, now he had a reason to ask more specific questions.

"So could you be the one who gave Shalltear that artifact then?"

"Don't be so upset, it's not necessary to be upset if she's survived and without injury, right?"

"It is entirely necessary! She's changed in ways I can only feel will grow to be a terrifying consequence!"

The little green effect overtook him, and Ainz instantly calmed down only to realize what he'd done. The women in the background were staring at them now. Tanabe had gotten Ainz to raise his voice, now the privacy of their conversation was compromised. The glaring between the two kept an almost tangible tension in the air.

"Lord...Ainz?"

Albedo was the one to come over and she could already tell just how upset Ainz was, despite his forced being calmed down he was still clearly pissed.

"What did you do to her?"

"Again, your concern is not necessary. I didn't give her anything she didn't already have."

His words were sincere but the intent behind it was nothing to take lightly.

"Then I am to believe that her condition is to worsen with or without your involvement?"

"The only thing I know is that she made me promise to answer some questions. At this point you should consider the possibility of her being the real mastermind here, whoever wrote her must have had plans for your downfall."

And the icing on the cake, make Shalltear the the focus of his attention. Tanabe knew that he was mostly on his own here, the only way to get out of this without consequence was to pin Ainz's attention on something else.

"Your attempt was admirable...However I knew Peroroncino well, trying to make me doubt my friends was a blunder."

The atmosphere changed to an even more hostile one.

"Albedo, we're taking them with us."

"Yes, Lord Ainz."

Tanabe was taken aback by his response, he'd made an enemy of Ainz Ooal Gown.

And theeeere's your cliffhanger, still a bit short again because of the vacation stuff.


	17. Plot Twists

I'm on the ocean so there's no service until we make stops

Please Enjoy

Tanabe was struggling to gain any ground, Albedo's defensive stats were simply too high for him to do any real damage with his bare hands. As an experienced player he definitely had many more weapons in his inventory he could use, but it wasn't as if he wanted to take her seriously. Getting into a full fledged death battle with an NPC was the last thing he wanted, especially since there was no hesitation from the "Supreme One" in sending her in, meaning he was fully confident in her victory.

This assumption was not wrong, Ainz purposefully sent Albedo after him knowing that a single enemy stood no chance in taking her down even if he had a world item, giving him the opportunity to confront the little goddess himself.

Albedo could easily hold Tanabe down all day without endangering herself and Ainz, who'd already seen the goddess in combat felt he could win. To him it only made sense as he was familiar with her fighting style already due to their skirmish in E-Rantel. There was no way he could have known that the goddess he fought was actually Tanabe, the story was too convoluted for him to even imagine a scenario like that.

"You will surrender to Lord Ainz."

"Lord Ainz this, Lord Ainz that, Seashell's emotional issues might be dangerous but at least they give her a bit of personality outside of being an obedient slave."

Albedo had been holding back quite a bit as her orders were to capture not kill, thus keeping him in place until he surrendered was good enough, but now he'd crossed a line. The drastic increase in power behind her next attack was more than just a warning, in fact Tanabe understood very well that he could no longer dodge around and throw little punches after taking that one.

Knowing there wasn't much else he could do, he armed himself with a claymore. Against a heavily defensive force he thought it best to go for hard damage. He took a swing in retaliation. She was unharmed.

"Wow, ok. Tanks are broken."

Armor penetration would have been really useful for him right about now, he might have been able to deal a bit of damage to make Albedo wary of approaching him. Trying to formulate an escape plan would be difficult with Albedo constantly trying to bash his face in. Still, things could have been much worse, Ainz could have stayed and helped fight. Luckily he had something else in mind.

Instead of making Tanabe a priority, Ainz saw it best to deal with the more unpredictable of the two and force her to submit before taking action against him. He'd already analyzed her basic fighting skills during their battle, so if she got violent he already knew what moves to make even if he was not in warrior mode. Doing his best to give off an intimidating Aura he approached the goddess and looked down at her.

"You will be coming with me."

"Okay."

He paused for a second, her cooperation was utterly unexpected. Sure he was hoping that he could intimidate her into coming quietly, yet she'd already decided to go with him without even the slightest argument, in fact she seemed to prefer it. _These two are unusual...That's saying a lot considering the people I once considered my friends._

"Your cooperation surprises me, are you not afraid?"

"Nope."

He put a finger to his chin.

"Are there perhaps others waiting out of sight?"

He knew there was no one else in the area, but prodding at her thoughts and figuring out her habits would be useful for interrogation purposes.

"I dunno, maybe."

No dice. This girl was strange, far too casual about her situation. Here stood what most could only consider to be the embodiment of death itself, and she just agreed to come along with him like he was her caretaker.

"Then, little one-"

"I'm not that little."

Of course she was still self conscious about her height, how original.

"Do you have a name then?"

She looked down for a second as if trying to remember her own name.

"Maybe."

This conversation was almost too much for him to handle. Amnesia along with her odd behavior, it was like dealing with a lost child.

"Then for now you are Honyopenyoko."

"Horrible Pinocchio."

"Honyo."

"Taco."

He'd had enough, there was no telling if this girl was toying with him or was actually serious. She had to have been an NPC made by that red warrior, Ainz couldn't have possibly imagined a player would behave this way, not unless he was being trolled. No matter how great a community a game had there were always those ready to ruin it for everyone else, this was a fact he knew well.

Assuming this girl was one of those people then it would be obvious that she was talking this way in order to make him frustrated so he'd turn his attention to her companion instead, other than that he would be convinced that she was a very oddly written NPC. Not like he could judge, he wasn't exactly proud of the way he designed Pandora's Actor.

Needing a moment to recollect his thoughts he glanced over at Shalltear, who'd remained silent since his arrival. Her recent behavior was yet another issue that needed to be dealt with, for now he'd test the waters and be sure of her stability.

"Shalltear, this will be sorted out."

"I understand...Lord Ainz."

His attempt to reassure her was met with a meek reply, all the enthusiasm she once had in addressing him vanished completely. Not only that, there was the hesitation in finishing her statement.

"Shalltear, is there something you want to say?"

"No."

"Lying will only worsen the issue, and I've about had enough of that."

The arrival of these other players was already too big of an issue to leave alone, and just seeing Shalltear's sad expression infuriated him. She couldn't even maintain eye contact with him, a clear sign of the guilt she was feeling. He decided to push her a bit more, maybe get to the bottom of this.

"If you having something to say, the best thing to do is be upfront about it."

The only thing Ainz and Tanabe really had in common was their business oriented background, the difference being Tanabe had gotten more and more irresponsible after arriving in this world and Ainz had loss most of his ability to feel. The changes were evident in Tanabe's increasingly reckless behavior thus far in comparison with Ainz, who could watch innocent people be slaughtered and didn't have the heart to save them without personal gain.

Well there was that one time in Carne Village, but that was due to a flashback induced guilt trip so he had an excuse.

"I have nothing to say, Lord Ainz."

He turned to face her completely and looked down at her with an unflinching gaze, letting her walk away from this was not something he planned on doing. If whatever was on her mind was bad enough that she'd compromise with potential enemies, he needed to know everything about it now. Of course it seemed like a bad idea to force this conversation to happen in a place like this, however he felt that the time and place clearly didn't matter if she was willing to come out here and speak to others about it before him.

"Then I will give you an absolute order, tell me what it is that's bothering you."

An absolute order could not be defied by the NPC, it should have been physically impossible for them. With the way they were written they would be compelled to follow every order to the best of their ability, little did he know this was exactly the problem.

"Lord Ainz...I am..."

She shifted uncomfortably, her heart rate becoming erratic from the pressure being put on her. Powerful emotions and undead did not mix well at all, it was a miracle that she could experience these short bursts of it while Ainz was forced out of it most of the time but that miracle was far more dangerous than Ainz could have realized.

"I just can't...I can't bring myself to understand how I feel anymore."

That was a strange statement to say the least and it didn't answer his question well enough for him to be satisfied either. He only took a moment to glance over at the scene of Tanabe getting his ass kicked before looking back to Shalltear and moving closer, making absolutely sure she would not run.

"I want to serve you without a doubt in my mind...I want to love you...But every time I feel that way it's as if something is wrong..."

She took many pauses in her speech, getting these thoughts into words was difficult for someone like her. Or it should have been anyway, yet for a moment Ainz got a glimpse of that cold personality hiding underneath. It reminded him of her encounter with Brain in the capital, powerful emotions followed by a calmness that was unlike her in every way.

"I know it is wrong, I was made to be this way, I never had a choice. I used to feel proud of being handcrafted by the supreme ones, now all I feel is doubt. Is my life really so important in the end?"

There was no correct way to interpret that statement from Ainz's point of view, it sounded kind of depressing but saying something about it would prevent her from getting her thoughts out. He decided to remain quiet and let her say everything she needed to.

"How can I live my life knowing that everything I see, everything I feel is out of my control?"

Strange words from an NPC, but not too hard to understand. Of all the NPC in Nazarick Shalltear was probably the most emotionally driven of the bunch, not including Albedo since Ainz's personal changes are the reason for her behavior. Most of the time Shalltear didn't put too much thought into her own existence, she simply lived to serve her master, but now everything was questionable to her.

The arrogant and prideful nature of a high ranking vampire like herself heavily conflicted the ideals normally expected of the guardians, he just didn't think there was any real reason for it to ever become a problem due to how overwhelmingly accepting of him she was.

Then it hit him.

 _I see now, Peroroncino._ The purpose of this strange personality of hers was not the result of that warrior after all, he only helped it grow to this extent. Peroroncino had certain "interests" in the games he played, interests that had come to be reflected in his ultimate creation, and not just the perverted bits.

Knowing his mindset, Shalltear's problems were more of an event or puzzle that the protagonist would have to solve in order to gain her affection, the problem being that the NPCs had begun to evolve past being mere programmed personas.

Rather than having a difficult yet straightforward problem, her interaction with that other player sent her on a far more dangerous course. Instead of worrying about the shape of her body or trying to determine whether or not Ainz would ever love her, she'd begun questioning the very principle of her existence, a problem that would not be solved through picking the correct dialogue option.

"Shalltear, the world is a cruel, unforgiving reality. As powerful as I am, I couldn't have possibly controlled the circumstances that lead to the birth of this world or of our arrival. Rather than frustration I felt the slightest joy in being able to command my forces once more, to embrace this new life and discover what it had to offer. It may be difficult to accept, but it is too late to change what has been done."

He made all those words up as he went along but it was all true, he truly did enjoy the idea. His rebirth in this new world was not a situation he fully understood, but appreciated nonetheless, after all he didn't have much to care for in his past life anyway.

"Then...What would you have done if we didn't accept this world as easily as you?"

"Like it or not, there is nothing that could be done."

"Allow me to rephrase that...What would you have done if we didn't accept you as easily as you accepted us?"

It was a dangerous question, one that seemed to foretell disaster.

"I do not forgive insubordination, you will be loyal to me because I am your ruler, whether or not you appreciate me is a personal concern."

It was the only kind of answer Shalltear could have expected, Ainz wasn't an idiot, he was sure to make his intentions clear despite her feelings in the matter. He cared about his guardians, but letting them go that far was not acceptable. Shalltear knew this, and even still she could not accept it.

Every part of her screamed to stop talking, to apologize and just be obedient. She wished she could simply return to that day of her failure and erase it all, to return things to be as they should without this conflict. She just wanted to be herself, and yet she couldn't even do that.

She put her hand to her head as she struggled to keep herself in line, to prevent herself from doing something she would regret. A tear rolled down her cheek as she felt those thoughts slowly fade from her consciousness altogether, this other side of her wasn't something she could control anymore.

Seeing the mental instability Shalltear was clearly going through actually made Ainz shiver, he knew her condition was bad but not this bad. At this point she didn't even seem to be Shalltear anymore, like she was about to hit a breaking point. He was right.

"Are we going to go now?"

Honyo spoke up after sitting through their conversation with a bored look on her face, the background fight between Tanabe and Albedo was too one sided to be enjoyable, he didn't even seem to be trying, just buying time. She didn't have much to look forward to at this point, she didn't remember much except the faces of her old friends, the other five gods whom the Theocracy worshipped.

The only reason she decided to follow Ainz was because he was very similar to Surshana, the God of Death. Even if he was someone different entirely, following him had to be better than following the perverted vampire and rude red man.

Now she was impatient and wanted to leave, the drama didn't suit her at all. She began to walk towards Albedo and Tanabe, hoping to end their fight herself and get on with whatever would happen. She took only a few steps before a hand touched her shoulder. When she turned, her arm was slashed right off.

For a moment time was still, even the background fighting ceased for a moment. Shalltear had sliced her arm off without warning. Ainz was so shocked by the sudden action that he could only stare, watching her pick up the arm she chopped off so mercilessly. Shalltear slipped the Gamemaster's Ring off of one of the fingers. To retrieve the ring she removed the girls entire arm, an admittedly ruthless tactic but one that prevented any resistance.

The victim herself was quiet and had fallen to her knees as she stared at the stub left behind, not a sound escaping her lips. An injury such as that would not be fatal for her but losing an entire limb would put anyone in shock, even Ainz would probably be a little traumatized.

"Forgive me, I did not think it wise to simply let you walk away with this."

She stared down at the ring quietly, knowing that she was past the point of no return. Ainz would most definitely want that ring, and as twisted as her mind had become from wearing it she still cared for him too much watch him hurt himself trying to use it. She was technically right, protecting her master from the visions and pain caused by acquiring this item was definitely a justified action, it was too bad Ainz didn't see it that way.

"Shalltear, that item is obviously of some importance, bring it here."

She continued to stare at the ring quietly. Ainz held out his hand, also knowing the dangers that could be posed by his guardian. After everything she'd said, expecting complete obedience would be a fool's thought process.

"I'm sorry, Lord Ainz. It's too dangerous for you to have this, this item is the cause behind it all, I won't let you take it."

She slipped the ring on, willingly defying her master's orders for the first time. She could already hear that voice again, this ring didn't deserve to be anywhere near her supreme one. Ainz put his hand back down to his side and moved a bit closer, he thought he'd made his thoughts on insubordination very clear.

"Are you certain of that? If that ring is so dangerous then no one should be in possession of it at all."

"You're right...That includes you."

For a short while the silence became intense, the only noise being the clanging of steel in the background from Albedo and Tanabe's fight.

"Your words were disrespectful to say the least, am I to assume you would face the consequences of your actions just for the sake of that treasure? You would risk defying me for a piece of metal?"

"I could never defy you, however you are correct. I will prevent you from acquiring this."

"Because this truth I already know would hurt me more than it would hurt you?"

"Because I am already a victim, as you told me before 'It is too late to change what has been done.'."

Ainz was quiet for a long while. If such a powerful item existed then it needed to be his no matter what, allowing it to belong to any other was just begging for disaster to strike. Now one of his own guardians was keeping it from him, a trusted individual keeping him away and ready to suffer the consequences of her actions.

He didn't blame her completely though, she even called herself a "victim". He would need to get that ring and then make absolutely sure he got as much information out of these other players as soon as possible, they were the reason for all of this of that he was sure. As for Shalltear...she was rapidly leaving him with only one option.

"Then I will have to save you, a promise I should have fulfilled when you were mind controlled. If reviving you will free you from whatever curse that thing has placed on you...Then that is what will be done."

Ainz was slow to say such words, there were three issues with making this promise now. First and foremost, he was not equipped to take on Shalltear as she was. Back when he'd decided on doing it before he had already mentally prepared himself for the fight, not only that but he knew Shalltear well enough to predict almost every move she would make in that fight. Now he wasn't exactly fighting that same girl.

The second reason was the original reason why he was afraid of fighting her to begin with, she was far too powerful in a one on one. Her lance healed her with each strike, she could summon familiars, cast high level spells, use the blood of her opponents against themselves, the list went on. But perhaps the scariest thing was her ability to use holy magic, a trait that countered Ainz completely. Honestly an undead who could use holy magic just sounded completely cheap.

And lastly, killing one of his subordinates was something he could never do in good conscious, especially when the blame could only be placed on an outside force he could not account for. In a way he felt as though he was punishing someone who might have genuinely been trying to help him, a thought that could only make him feel like a tyrant. His hand had been forced, but despite what he was prepared to do now he was not angry with Shalltear. No, his wrath would be reserved for those who made her this way.

"Albedo!"

His voice boomed across the grasslands, and the fighting came to a halt almost immediately. Without delay Albedo rushed over, completely ignoring the man she was just trying to cut apart.

"That was unpleasant...Like trying to solo a raid boss."

Tanabe hadn't had fun at all, his first swing every now and again actually did some decent damage, but other than that she was just too tanky. Up until now he'd been counting in his head, memorizing her attack patterns and waiting to get in those lucky hits. She would only take more damage as time progressed, but Tanabe wanted to cripple, not kill and Albedo didn't make this any easier by getting more aggressive as time passed. It's a good thing Ainz intervened when he did.

"To have turned against Lord Ainz, after all he's done for us...You will regret this mistake dearly."

 _This. Is. Perfect!_ It was not visible, but Albedo was grinning like a madwoman. If Shalltear had crossed the line, then there was no way Albedo could be number two, she'd won.

"Albedo, it pains me to say this. I'd prefer to capture her but if it is not possible then we have no choice."

"I understand completely, Lord Ainz."

Albedo took a step forward, this would be a fight that could rock the very foundations of Nazarick. Shalltear wanted to surrender, but it was already too late to try and surrender. As a valkyrie she could fly without a spell, all she needed to do was get far enough away to dispose of that little trinket, then she would turn herself in.

"Be prepared Shalltear, your betrayal won't be taken lightly."

"That's enough Albedo, this is a fight brought about by circumstance."

That only made her more upset, but it was to be expected. Ainz was not so quick to label her a traitor, he knew that deep down she must have been trying to protect him from whatever it was that ring did. It would perfectly explain the irrational choice of compromising with the enemy, as well as her reluctance to tell him everything she knew.

"Remember that capture is the priority...We'll deal with the other two afterwards."

"Understood."

The standoff resumed, the death stares traveling back and forth across the field.

"Uh...Hey, I didn't really expect you all to turn on each other..."

Tanabe had finally caught up.

"And um...The little one over there is kinda bleeding out."

"It's time to give in, taking down Lord Ainz is impossible."

"Well I wouldn't say impossible, actually I think we'd have the advantage if we worked together."

"I won't fight with you and I most certainly won't attack him."

"Yeah...I thought you'd say that. But I have a way to get us out of this safely."

"If you know what's good for you, you'll take this chance to run or you'll take this ring and destroy it."

"I kind of need that though..."

"Then run away with it and don't come back."

"But I kinda like arguing with you, also Ainz was pretty rude for sicking Albedo on me."

"Again, if you know what's good for you-"

She was cut off in that moment. In fact there was nothing she could say that would rival the shock she was in, but her widened eyes gave it away without speaking. Slowly she looked down, eyes now locked on the blade now protruding through her chest.

"Yeah...I actually don't know what's good for me. So you're just gonna have to trust that I know what I'm doing, alright?"

"You...b-"

She was cut off due to a violent, bloody cough.

"Uh huh, you can complain later, for now..."

Tanabe made eye contact with Ainz, who had shortened the distance almost immediately.

"Looks like we have more talking to do, 'Lord' Ainz."

Life at sea is actually kind of boring, plenty of time to write though.


	18. Truce

Ainz is mad, it's too bad he can't stay that way or it'd be more fun to have him make rash decisions

Please Enjoy

Tanabe had done some pretty ridiculous things up until now, but stabbing Shalltear through the chest right in front of Ainz had to take the cake.

"Alright, now we don't have to worry about her doing anything crazy...Heh, like I'm one to talk."

Tanabe looked directly at Ainz and realized just how close he was to being annihilated. They were both max level but with Albedo there as his shield, Tanabe wouldn't stand a chance.

"Whoa! Before you try turning me into a rotting corpse, I did just save you the trouble of having to fight and capture this one didn't I?"

His excuse didn't do much for him.

"Also...You're the type of guy who'd prefer to at least listen to what I have to say before making a rash decision, right? It's not like that stab killed her."

His attack was merciless but he knew it wouldn't kill, she was a true vampire after all, she could probably heal from that attack without even leaving a scar. Probably.

Ainz did not reply right away and in that moment of silence Tanabe took the chance to remove his blade, after which Shalltear collapsed and he found the opportunity to catch her and tuck her under his arm, effectively turning her into a mortally wounded hostage.

"My plan actually has some benefit for the both of us, I know this looks bad but you should hear me out before you try killing me for this."

"You think I'll listen to you after what you've done?"

A faint green glow gave away Ainz's anger, after all being forced to talk with the man who just skewered his guardian made his already sour mood even worse than before. This person was too strong to instant kill without proper preparation and any other spells that came to mind had the possibility of hitting Shalltear too.

"You know, I'd rather avoid putting a girl through any more pain than I already have, so with your permission I'd like to wrap this up and get moving. I've already made sure she won't run or say something unnecessary."

Despite Ainz being prepared to kill his own guardian, he was still too rational for his own good. Shalltear was incapacitated and the culprit behind the act was the one attempting to be civil about it, so of course he regained his composure.

"You should know that an NPC can be revived, using her for your benefit is fruitless."

"Are you sure that'll work? You might not have noticed but she kind of turned on you of her own volition, will reviving her really solve any of your problems?"

It was not the most convincing argument but it did present an astronomical problem for Ainz. If Shalltear were mind controlled then revival was a perfectly logical solution, but if she were still suffering from the same psychological issues that ring gave her afterwards then they would be back to square one.

"Even still, your actions against me deserve harsh punishment."

"Come on dude, I was just trying to help. When I broke her out of that mind control I didn't expect things to turn out like this, you really think I want to start a war with you after coming this far?"

The excuse was lame but there was truth in it, he'd been doing his best to misdirect them without starting a fight. His comment on Peroroncino backfired horribly but it was certainly true that he was just one man with no assets other than that ring, he had no hope of taking down Nazarick as he was.

"Regardless you have caused too many problems to be allowed to live."

"I would be inclined to believe that, but if you were going to kill me without listening to what I had to say, you'd have already done it."

"I would prefer to prevent risking one of my subordinates lives if I don't have to, you have proven yourself to be unpredictable."

"Unpredictability is a skill, one that you could use in my opinion. Why not let me stick around for awhile before making the choice to kill me?"

Having him around would be nothing but a liability at best, that much was obvious. Still if there were anything to be gained from all this trouble, Ainz would be sure to take full advantage of it.

"Then your supposed plan should benefit the two of us how?"

Ainz looked towards Shalltear for only a moment, worried for her condition. This quick glance did not get past Tanabe, who now saw a ray of hope for his escape.

"It's really simple, just let me take her for a little while and fix my mistake. I can use this little ring here to solve more issues than you think, I'll even give her the answers to those questions she wanted to ask as an apology for the uh..."

"Taking her away is out of the question."

"Then let me take her back into E-Rantel. If I'm there then you can keep an eye on me without worrying about me running away. You have your cool group 'Darkness' and all that, just make up some excuse so I come off as a new recruit or something. No one really believes that one warrior and a pretty mage really did everything you two did anyway, right?"

He had a point, Momon and Nabe were the talk of the Kingdom but most people still doubted the legitimacy of their claims, a two person team becoming adamantite in such a short amount of time was just absurd to consider. On top of that, adding Nightfall to their team quelled a lot of the hate immediately, especially after she demonstrated her strategic prowess. Including another powerful warrior like Tanabe would definitely make their claim to fame a lot more believable.

While there was some merit to that solution it still didn't change the fact that this man could just as easily tarnish his name if he behaved rashly, not to mention the simple fact that he knew Momon's true identity, a tool he could use to blackmail him in the future.

"The purpose of that team is to raise my own name, not give someone else a chance to do as they please."

"I just want to watch, let me be another face in the team and I could just sit back and relax, you could even lock me in a room if you want. Keep all the glory for yourself, I have no desire to play hero."

"Lord Ainz, I believe his proposition is not at all worth considering. We've no guarantee he won't just betray us for trivial reasons, next time it may not just be Shalltear at risk." Albedo spoke up for a moment.

She was right, nothing he said was worth considering but letting Shalltear bleed to death right in front of him was even less so. If he went along with that plan then this irregularity would become a risky asset, one who could directly interfere in his plans should he feel the need to do so.

"And what benefit exactly is there for you?"

"Like I said, I just wanna sit back and watch without being roped into joining your cult, the whole supervillain plan for world domination is your own business. Plus having me keep an eye on Shalltear should ease your mind, what with all the weird questions and fourth wall breaks and everything."

Ainz just stared at him quietly, his past interaction with this man lead him to believe he was talking to a highly intelligent individual who'd been sabotaging him in hopes of destroying Nazarick from the inside out. A very dangerous player who just so happened to slip up by mentioning his friends.

Now this cunning rival was offering to just get out of the way and watch? If that weren't awkward enough he would compromise his own safety just to keep an eye on Shalltear? In Ainz's mind he was either vastly underestimating the danger of his situation or was just an idiot, likely the former but idiocy was never out of the question. It would still be easy to label him a troll after all.

"If your goal was so simple then why have you put yourself in this situation? Taking a guardian from me, making connections with the Theocracy and getting in my way at every turn?"

"Because I wasn't lucky enough to just pop into existence like the rest of you. I went through kind of a weird body change, then I lost my ring and everything started spiraling out of control. By the time I was able to regain my footing everything had already gone south, so at this point I'm just throwing caution to the wind and hoping for the best. Also bullying Seashell is funny, her cheeks puff up when she pouts like a child, it's great."

"You call her Seashell..? No, nevermind."

Maybe he was just an idiot after all.

"Look, I've done some crazy stuff and I'm not asking you to trust me but the road ahead could be a lot easier with me on your side rather than against you. I may not want to join your guild but at the very least consider me a neutral party, I don't even wanna have to fight."

"As a neutral party you are subject to assist my enemies as much as you would assist me."

"But that's why we have this vampire here! No matter how much she changed, she still clearly cared about you enough to risk her life for your safety right? In that case you know very well that I can't suddenly force her to be on my side over yours, she can make sure I don't do anything crazy, and I in turn will keep her mental state from worsening. Not a bad plan if you ask me."

Except that her condition was his fault to begin with, the only reason Ainz wouldn't say anything about that was because it was still an error on his part to send Shalltear out to get mind controlled in the first place.

The safe plan was to decline the offer and kill him anyway, but if Ainz could get the owner of that ring under his control then most of his problems would be cleared just like that. Leaving Shalltear with him was a gamble, but the reward could be quite the beneficial investment.

"So it all comes back to that ring then."

"Yep, now that I have it again the only thing left is to secure a comfortable spot to watch the carnage. Shouldn't be too hard to leave me in the backlines to watch the Kingdom, the place is falling apart anyway."

"Even still I am not aware of just what that ring is, only that it was the cause for Shalltear's behavior as of late."

"Consider it to be a world item only I can abuse without penalty, there's details I can't really dive into right now but you should consider that the reason why she began to fall apart when she tried to use it. I can't do anything beyond manipulate a few rules and cast spells I wouldn't know otherwise."

Another not so believable excuse but what point was there in arguing a point he had no information on? He'd never seen an item like that in Yggdrasil before, this man was the only one who could give him an answer.

"Then you are implying that it is a unique item? That doesn't seem very plausible."

In response to Ainz's doubt Tanabe summoned a Wraith, an example of a spell he did not know and yet could abuse with his cheat ring. Wraiths were low-tier undead who specialized in stealth, although they were still quite weak. Any novice Necromancer could summon a Wraith quite easily, but that was just the thing, Tanabe wasn't a necromancer, he wasn't any form magic caster at all, and he didn't even use a scroll or talisman for the summons. To say Ainz was stunned would be a bit of an understatement.

"I see...Then there is more to that then I thought there was."

"Yep, and I'd willingly show you more at no additional cost. Order now and you also get a health potion absolutely free!"

Ainz took a minute or so to think further on what he'd seen, trying his best to ascertain just what that item was. A ring that could corrupt an NPC, manipulate the rules of the reality around it, allow the use of spells outside of the wearer's capability and even summon creatures with little to no effort was game-breaking, in fact he was half convinced that Tanabe might have been a modder or hacker to own such an item.

"Where could you have possibly gotten that?"

"I'll tell you more if and when you accept my terms."

"Then you're saying that I should just ignore the potential threat of you and your world item, then just throw you into the Kingdom with my guardian with no discretion."

"You could see it that way, although I assure you that I have no intention of making you want to kill me anymore than you already do. Besides, don't you have bigger fish to fry? Namely the two other countries planning to destroy this one."

Truthfully, Ainz had plans to get his hands on the political scene in the empire in the near future anyway, the Kingdom was just a stepping stone. Once he did that he would be one step further in creating his own nation, the start to recognizing his ambition.

Now the only questions left were about where exactly that ring came from, how exactly it affected Shalltear, and what else it could do.

"I'm not asking too much, I just wanna avoid the conflict and mess with an emotionally unstable, perverted vampire! Speaking of which, I'm not sure she'll heal from this injury without a bit of help so we should hurry this up."

Ainz didn't know how to respond to the idea being presented to him, simply letting everything pass and taking a chance on this man could be his worst mistake. He turned his head to look at the only other injured warrior on the field.

"What about her?"

"Don't really care, you can make her your slave or whatever. I do advise against it however, you'll find her much more difficult to deal with than me even with only one arm. She ain't exactly the bargaining type."

Another weird reply but at this point Ainz kind of expected the unexpected from these two, she'd already agreed to go with him anyway so there was nothing to lose on that end. To think just a few minutes ago he was ready to tear them apart and now he was making business deals with them, maybe being forcibly calmed down wasn't so bad after all.

"Soooooo, deal?"

Tanabe held out his hand. Ainz took a good look at him, at Albedo who was shaking her head disapprovingly, at the little girl bleeding on the floor and at the vampire being clutched by a potential new ally. He did not trust this man, he was still annoyed enough to want to destroy him, and yet there was a slight amount of promise that could be had from this situation. Eventually Ainz's settled his eyes back on the warrior ahead of him.

"People like you are the reason online communities are so toxic."

"Actually, you'd be surprised to know what kind of person I used to be."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The depths of the Theocracy was a scary place to be, there were religious fanatics, godkins and even a dragon just casually coexisting. Beyond the great structure in which all these beings dwelled was a small chamber, unaccessible to all but the most devout of followers. Here sat Zesshi Zetsumei, who angrily fiddled with her Rubik's cube, the news of that little god actually being a goddess really put her in a horrible mood. She'd almost killed the poor messenger who relayed the news to her.

"Unfortunately, you don't look so happy, Zesshi."

"Ah, Captain. I am certainly not in a good mood."

The Black Scripture didn't need to stick around long after their conversation with Princess Renner, all that was left was to grab their little goddess and retreat.

"We saw something today that I think you'd be interested in."

"Unfortunately, I've about grown tired of the little knick-knacks you bring me."

"Just wait, I think you'll be a little more than excited."

It was rare for the Captain to smile as he did now, the type of smile you'd expect from a mischievous youngster.

"After we made our way to the Kingdom to fulfill our mission, we decided to split away from the little goddess as her power made quite the suitable distraction for their forces."

"And? Has she perished?"

"Perhaps, that doesn't really matter in comparison to what we found when we went to retrieve her."

He sure had her attention now, it made him a bit giddy. Zesshi often spoke of how bored she was with life in general, seeing her interested in something was quite a sight.

"Well? Are you going to tell me then?"

"That very same pinnacle of power we witnessed first hand was defeated by a warrior in red armor with just one attack."

Shock and surprise were a fun combination, one that was made even more interesting by the simple misunderstanding that would be made here. Zesshi would most definitely be interested to meet such a warrior, to test her luck once more on an even grander scale. A smile stretched across her face.

It's too bad that Shalltear's valkyrie armor was a shiny red, just like Tanabe. He'd escaped the Theocracy and the mad woman he'd hoped to never see again, but even still it was far too late for him to simply go back to being a spectator for long.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

With a long day having finally passed and the threat to the Kingdom presumably gone, Darkness was happily welcomed back as heroes to the country. For her valiant effort in defending the city, Nightfall was raised from Copper to Mythril on her first mission, a sign of just how much the Kingdom was banking on their success.

The promotion would have to wait however, her injuries would prevent her from going anywhere for a little while, or at least that was the excuse Momon gave for her absence. Honestly it was true that she was injured, but the injury would heal rather quickly, instead the problem was her being out cold for several hours after their return.

The purpose of keeping her out of the public spotlight for the time being was to test, if only for a little while just how effective it would be to keep her in the Kingdom with Tanabe. If the hypothesis of her mental state being improved was viable then this would be the lab to test it in, she wasn't exactly needed within Nazarick at the moment anyway. The real test would be for Tanabe's credibility, he obviously wasn't to be trusted from Ainz's point of view.

After awhile Shalltear did open her eyes, but it was not to the sight she would have guessed nor hoped for. Tanabe is the last person she wanted to see after waking up from fainting due to blood loss, the shiny red armor glistening from the moonlight coming through the window.

"Oh hey, you're up. Fitting that you got up after the sun set, very vampire-like."

She didn't respond immediately, instead she stopped to glance around the room and take in the details. The place was recognizable, the interior design of this room in particular was a dead give away.

"This...Where Sebas and Solution lived when he brought that human girl along…"

Indeed it was the same mansion they lived in before the subjugation of Eight Fingers, but why was she here with this man? Had he actually escaped from Ainz and Albedo?

"Well I'm surprised you didn't immediately try to cut me apart after I uh…"

Tanabe trailed off there, with the two of them simply staring at one another quietly. It took a minute but eventually Shalltear realized what he meant and instantly put her hand to her chest, realizing that her injury was gone.

"It's gone already?"

"Well yeah, you were actually out for a few hours. And of course I had to help you out a bit by giving you some of that magic red juice."

For a moment she almost panicked, assuming he was talking about a health potion.

"Even though you're a vampire I've never actually seen you drink blood, so it's kinda weird to see how effective it was. Might I add how weird it is for you to be able to eat and drink like a normal person by the way?"

"You put your blood...In my mouth?"

"Well once you latched onto my arm you didn't wanna let go, so I had no choice."

He was just being a bully now. Shalltear put a hand to her mouth, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.

"I ingested your blood...A demon like yourself and not Lord Ainz..?"

"Do you and Albedo not understand biology? You two do realize he's a skeleton right? He doesn't even have blood, and he certainly couldn't give either of you children. Well I guess that's why he hired me."

Tanabe was definitely having fun messing with her but he didn't realize just how much danger he could be in if he kept pushing her, at worst he expected a punch to the gut.

He got a bookshelf to the face.

Back from my trip, these last two chapters were written while I was there and I didn't feel like proofreading them.


	19. Road Trip

Counting down the days until Albedo loses it and kidnaps Ainz

Please Enjoy

Ainz massaged his temples even though he knew it would have no effect, the day had been far too stressful. His little experiment with Shalltear and that troll was already enough to keep him distracted, but now a new problem had shone it's ugly head, and it came in the form of a meddling princess.

Originally he'd planned to make his first appearance in the Baharuth Empire, a nation that could recognize the start of his own new kingdom, his first real foothold in this new world. He would meet with the strongest magic caster in the land, a conflict between both the Kingdom and Empire would make a ripe battlefield for him to showcase his power, and he'd finally have a definite headquarters outside of just Nazarick, but before he could even take a step in that direction everything had gone down the drain.

Even more social unrest sprouted from the Kingdom's population after the Golden Princess announced her plan to form an alliance with the Slane Theocracy. Knowing that the Kingdom was weak on resources, she'd volunteered to travel to the Theocracy herself for the purposes of negotiation. It was not a bad idea, honestly the Kingdom needed as many allies as it could get, but at this rate it would only be a matter of time before the Kingdom would simply fall under their control.

For the purposes of Ainz's agenda, if the Kingdom truly did form a pact with the Theocracy then the Empire would likely surrender not too long afterwards to avoid the risk of fighting a war on two fronts. That woman needed to be stopped, at least until his ambitions were realized. Luckily he had a chance to ruin her plans, a golden opportunity. There's no way they'd send the princess out alone into another country without protection, an adamantite class adventurer group should do nicely for bodyguards...Or two adamantite class groups...Along with the Warrior Captain and his associates...And also a few dozen knights, including her personal blonde bodyguard.

"There are far too many people...I underestimated the princess' influence."

"Lord Momon, shall we tell her that there is no need for the assistance of these maggots?"

"It's just Momon, Nabe. Also your opinion of humans is a bit too harsh."

Even still, she had a point. If there was an altercation within the Theocracy, there's no way these knights would stand a chance, they'd be nothing more than meatshields. The only probable survivors would likely be himself and his NPC, unacceptable. The princess being captured while under his protection was a fate he could not allow to happen. In the worst case scenario he could bring Shalltear along and have her open a Gate if necessary, but that would mean pulling her out of her confinement with Tanabe. He couldn't risk revealing his identity to open one himself.

Bringing her with him would mean leaving the other player alone with no one to really stop him from doing what he wanted, the most resistance being Sebas. Trusting him to stay put and just watch as he claimed would be a ridiculous thought, but bringing him along with them was just...Momon didn't even want to consider the disaster that could follow if that guy acted on a whim. The only reason he was left alive was for the purpose of dealing with Shalltear and her emotional problems, perhaps even as an extra set of hands should his assistance be needed, if he were to turn on them now he would be swiftly dealt with.

With that being said, there was no trust between him and the denizens of Nazarick and Shalltear was one of the few NPC who could likely come out on top in a one on one situation against a player, in fact her win would be almost certain with Sebas and the Pleiades at her side. Those odds shifted dramatically if Shalltear were to be taken out of the equation, that warrior could get away with whatever he wanted and the only way to stop him would be for other guardians to leave Nazarick and stop him themselves. There was no telling what kind of chaos could ensue should that happen.

He found himself caught between the idea of letting them both stay in E-Rantel and just hoping everything would stay in order until he returned, or taking them with him at the risk of unnecessary conflict. If he could he'd rather just have someone else go in his place but they were expecting the Dark Hero to make an appearance. If it wasn't him, it would have to be Pandora's Actor. He let out a sad sigh.

"Nabe, while they prepare I will go and gather the other two members of our team."

"Pardon me, Momon but are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I myself am against the idea of bringing them along, but leaving them be outside of my supervision is out of the question. I've no clue what that man may try while I'm gone, I won't be fooled by a goofy exterior."

He was completely against taking them, but at least there was something to be gained from it. First and foremost was seeing what progress if any was made in helping his guardian, if all was well then he could count on her to serve him faithfully without question.

Secondly was delving into the history behind what his other new little ally had to say. Her vague explanation on the six gods and their legacy gave him a few concrete details, but little else.

From what he could gather those six gods must have been other players who'd come to the world before him, if that were true then it opened the gateway to some rather exciting possibilities. Collecting the items and equipment left behind by other players such as himself and learning how they impacted the world made both his inner nerd and completionist rejoice. He would be sure to take in as much information as he could on this journey.

"Keep an eye on the princess and if anyone asks where I am tell them I will be back soon."

"Yes, Lord Ainz."

"...It's just Momon."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Watching the nobles actually taking to the streets to protest was something Tanabe would never expect to see, it was like seeing a pig fly. The rich people of the country protesting like reformers, the press back home would have a field day. This was truly enjoyable, how could anyone doubt that he'd just want to sit back and watch the fireworks?

In the short time he'd been left in this new home he'd already gotten very used to the relatively confined space, after all it was still far better than a plain white box. At least this way he had food to enjoy and a comfy bed or couch to relax on. It was like being on a permanent vacation, nothing could be better. Except that a rent-free stay in a mansion could only last so long.

Within these walls there were only a few others sharing the living space. Among them were Shalltear, Sebas, Entoma, Solution and Tuare, a human maid whom he was sure Sebas had a romantic interest in. The only odd one out was Entoma, who hadn't been there before and simply appeared out of nowhere but no one seemed to see anything wrong with it at all.

He actually did decide to question her out of curiosity, but even though she answered he didn't hear a word of it. He was too wrapped up in listening to how cute her voice sounded to even pay attention to what exactly was being said. Well it didn't matter much anyway, he could tell at the very least that her job involved keeping an eye on him and Shalltear while Sebas and Solution went about their daily assignments. Good enough.

Aside from her Sebas didn't say much unless spoken to and Solution seemed to be avoiding him after a rude comment he made about her not having teeth. By the time he realized that she was a slime, the damage had been done. He truly did try to apologize but it was a bit late for that, and so the only one who he could manage to have even a semi-productive conversation with turned out to be Shalltear. And well, they didn't exactly get along.

The first couple attempts at straightening out her weird bipolar behavior were less than successful, really he only managed to make her even more irritable than before. The problem was that he would need to try and directly change how her character was written to cover up the mistake of letting her come into contact with his ring, but that was no longer a viable option. These NPC weren't just static characters anymore, trying to "fix" her just wasn't as easy as changing a few words, at this point she'd probably need therapy or something.

Ainz wouldn't be happy about that, the condition for keeping him around had yet to be met, now he needed an excuse to avoid being indebted to that skeleton, he knew very well that Ainz would look for any excuse to have a player serving him loyally. He let out a sigh and continued to watch his mirror with a hidden frown, he remembered the times when he could just claim to be AFK to avoid responsibilities. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Sir Tanabe, Lord Ainz has come to speak with you."

"Oh ok, thanks Sebastian."

"Again there is no need to call me by my full name sir, Sebas will do."

He'd made that mistake several times now, honestly who ever came up with his name must have been a lazy writer or thought he was clever. Well he could worry about that later, Ainz was now in the room.

"Good, you are awake."

He took a moment to look around.

"And Shalltear is not around."

"Yeah, I think she's taking a bath. Are you seeing what's happening out there? This is great."

Trying to keep Ainz from asking about his progress with Shalltear by distracting him with his pseudo-television was actually a good strategy. Ainz cautiously made his way over to him only to realize just what he meant, he was actually watching the outside with a scrying mirror and…

"Is that...A remote?"

"No…"

Tanabe slid the slender brick out of sight behind a cushion, a clear sign of just how guilty he was. Using his ring to create small utility items was one thing, but he'd actually made a control for his mirror that looked disturbingly similar to a television remote. Well Ainz could question the weird logic of that novelty item later, there were more pressing matters.

"I am certain that with your mirror you saw the news that the princess would be leaving to the Slane Theocracy rather soon."

"Yep, sounds like a horrible idea though, I don't think those fanatics care one bit about this country's survival."

"Regardless of her intentions, Darkness has been invited to accompany her."

"Have fun."

"You're coming too."

"Do I have too?"

"Yes."

"But I just got comfy…"

"You're acting like a child."

"Fine, whatever you say maximum supreme overlord of death sir."

"Your sarcasm is uncalled for, you should have expected me to bring you along as you cannot be trusted."

Arguing with another person was unexpectedly amusing, Ainz could already feel the nostalgia of the good old days, back when he participated in the pointless banter and flame wars that came along with having an online community. He held back the urge to roast him.

"Once Shalltear is here I will inform you both of my plans, I expect you will play along without causing unnecessary trouble."

"Me? Cause trouble? Please, when have I ever done that?"

Of all the things he could have said, that had to be one of the most annoying. Ainz couldn't even glorify that question with an answer, the sarcasm he could expect in return would be more than he could handle at the moment. Luckily a door opened to put a break in the awkward silence. Or make it worse.

"I'm getting sick of seeing all of this-"

Shalltear opened another door in the room, having completed her bath. Only now she was wearing nothing but towels, the look on her face after seeing that her supreme one was in the room and staring at her sent Tanabe rolling on the floor laughing. It wasn't long before that door slammed back shut.

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"You're huge…"

"Thank you!"

Evileye could always appreciate a big strong warrior backing her up, Momon was pretty great already but this one was even bigger in size, actually his size couldn't be considered human. Ainz's Perfect Warrior made him a large intimidating monster of a man but Tanabe was a whole head taller than him, and his spiked armor made him even less friendly looking. With someone that scary following him around coupled with the cold uninviting gaze of Nightfall, the doubt most people had about the exploits of Momon quickly began to fade.

"It's hard to believe that a warrior like you exists."

A knight decided to speak up, captivated by the heroes surrounding him.

"Who me? I'm just a big tank, Momon has all the skills."

Tanabe didn't really care to win the popularity contest, there were too many people out here anyway and it would be easier to send them towards the others. It was hard to get anywhere with the fans piling up, Momon had aspiring adventurers and veterans alike praising him and he wasn't alone. Nabe had men bending over backwards to get her attention, even her harsh words didn't turn them away, and surprisingly Shalltear even had a few people trying to talk to her, which made her storm off in irritation, she just was not in the mood to deal with anyone at the moment. Having Ainz see her like that with Tanabe there to laugh at her put her in quite the bad mood, any humans who wanted to talk with her risked being torn apart.

"Sheesh, I wish they had us meet in a more secluded location, having us get ready to set out in the middle of the city was a horrible idea."

"The princess wishes to give a parting speech before our departure, she feels it is her duty to reassure her people even if they all do not agree with the decisions being made. With morale as low as it is, it is not surprising that things turned out this way."

Tanabe looked back to his side at Evileye and considered her words carefully.

"Isn't it a bit strange for the king to just let her walk off and do this on her own?"

"It is possible the king himself also wishes for this outcome, sending the princess who has become a symbol of reform may be a sign of his faith in our success."

He didn't buy any of that, it was nothing but suspicious for the princess too venture so far when she had not only her father but older siblings as well who could support her. The princess alone was the one to make the announcement and receive all the backlash without word from anyone else in the royal family, how could anyone else miss that? The thought would have to wait, another one came to mind as he gazed down at the tiny vampire.

"Any particular reason you took an interest in me? I think I'm the least popular here."

"Simply getting more acquainted with a future teammate, we will be venturing into enemy territory soon with only each other to depend on."

She was right, with as far as they planned to go knowing your allies well could be the difference between life and death should the Theocracy turn on them.

"You seem rather okay with taking that chance, are you not the slightest bit worried about just how sudden and skeptical all of this is?"

"I...I'm am- uh certain we will be fine with Momon on our side."

Learning that she was another Momon fan wasn't very surprising, the real interesting bit was how her voice faltered when she mentioned him. _Ainz you sly dog._

"Well then, I feel like you'll like my spot with him a lot more."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The both of us are kinda big so we take up one carriage just by ourselves and it'll be a little uncomfortable, so why don't you take my spot and I'll take yours?"

She started panicking, perfect.

"Yeah it'll be great, I'll get to know your team a little better and you get to talk with Momon, good plan!"

He didn't give her a chance to answer, instead he pulled her along and made sure things would work out the way he envisioned them. In his rush he caught the attention of a few others who saw him aiming to get out of the way. Gazef alone would have been enough to gather a small crowd and he'd come with a familiar seaweed head, who didn't seem to be at all hesitant to hit on any pretty women he saw. With all these national figures in one place it shouldn't have been a surprise for the streets to simply be flooded with people.

"Ah, now that the princess is taking over guess I'll go take a seat while I wait, I'm not really required to be there anyway."

Brain definitely enjoyed his time in the limelight while it lasted, but he still wasn't a soldier or a knight or anything similar, he had no right to stand by the princess as she spoke. After his confident display back at the last war meeting he felt that his life was finally going the right way again, there was no need to be afraid of anything.

"Ah right, well as the Warrior Captain I don't really have much of a choice, you can go on ahead and find a carriage to relax in and I'll be along in a bit."

"You got it, I'll be on my way then."

His long standing rival had basically become his best friend, they could push each other to further heights as equals. Things were looking up for Brain Unglaus. With swift and careful movements he made his way through the crowd and into a comfortable little carriage near the back where there weren't so many people, no harm in catching a short nap before they departed. He set his sword down and gave a small stretch before relaxing on his side, this trip should be more like a vacation for a man like him rather than a business trip.

"How strange that you can relax in front of me so easily."

He froze like a deer in headlights, obviously in his smug calm he'd completely forgotten that his real rival, the monster whose power he hoped to reach someday was coming along with them, and he'd dumbly strutted right into the cabin without having even noticed her. Was she hiding her presence? No, he'd just become far too relaxed recently and let his guard down. He walked forward with such confidence that he was almost literally blinded to the danger around him, a mistake a warrior like himself could never afford to make.

He was up and completely tense now, this was perhaps the worst possible wakeup call he could have imagined.

"While no one's listening...Let's have a talk, you know more than you should."

He was already sweating but he wouldn't back down, the odds were still in his favor. Even if they were secluded for this moment, Gazef knew very well that he was around here and she still had a cover to keep as an adventurer, she could say whatever she wanted but no threat would have any real meaning behind it other than to intimidate him. Feeling sure of himself another sly smile came to his face.

"Alright then let's talk, Shalltear Bloodfallen."

Shalltear in a carriage with Brain, Evileye stuck in one with Momon, I wonder just how long a carriage ride would take to get from E-Rantel into Theocracy territory.


	20. Awkward Ride

I don't have Tia and Tina say anything because I always forget they exist, lol

Please Enjoy

The halls of Nazarick had grown rather quiet. Anyone who wasn't out fulfilling some task kept to their own devices, the absence of their supreme one left most of them with nothing to do but keep the place in order until his return. In the throne room were the guardians who'd been left to keep the place in check, discussing their thoughts on current events.

"I hope he comes back soon…"

Albedo openly hugged her Ainz plush, not caring to hide the fact that she had one. Ainz was leaving Nazarick more and more frequently these days and she'd hardly gotten to speak to him, now he would be gone for an undetermined period of time and in another country no less. All she could do was watch over Nazarick and the little girl he'd brought back with him some time ago, a brat who did nothing but demand sweets and sleep in strange intervals. Keeping track of her was a nightmare, but Albedo would never complain about any task her supreme one gave her.

"I'm more concerned about that creepy guy he has following him around!"

Aura spoke first, throwing out a thought many of them could agree with. Ainz never brought Tanabe back to Nazarick but he did at least take the time to describe him to his guardians, it should go without saying that his description was a bit exaggerated. To them he was a monster with no purpose but to destroy Nazarick at the slightest provocation, an evil being who needed to be taken down right away. Of course many of them instantly volunteered to take on such an endeavor but Ainz turned them down immediately, he was afraid that others besides Shalltear would be at risk. And so Tanabe was now public enemy number one for the denizens of the tomb.

"I. Worry. If. Shalltear. Will. Ever. Escape. His. Grasp."

There was also the misunderstanding that Shalltear was his hostage, which was why Ainz couldn't afford to have him killed yet. It wasn't all that far from the truth honestly, but Ainz definitely made Tanabe out to be a bigger villain than he really was. He'd be in some real trouble if he ever met the guardians in person, they would definitely treat him more harshly than he probably deserved.

"Her own blunder led to this burden being put on Lord Ainz, she is lucky he cares for us as much as he does."

"A. World. Item. Was. Used."

"Still, she shouldn't have just run in like an idiot."

This argument between Cocytus and Aura over whether or not Shalltear was innocent would be important in determining her fate later, Cocytus was one of the very few who didn't view her as a traitor at this point.

"Demiurge, isn't true that she was having a conversation with that guy long before we knew he even existed?"

"Unfortunately we do not have all the details just yet, as far as we know she could have been under his influence from the beginning."

Just the thought of that scared the rest of them into silence, being strung along into another player's plans had to be one of the worst fates to befall one of them, death would be a preferable alternative.

"Well I would not worry too much, with Entoma's efforts I believe we will have our answers rather soon."

He pushed up his glasses, the other guardians were curious as to what he could have possibly meant. He felt no need to tell them everything just yet, all would be revealed in due time.

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Momon was just about pissed, when he came into the carriage he was ready to have a very serious talk with that giant red idiot but instead Evileye was sitting there, clearly shaken up. Because of how she reacted he assumed that Tanabe must have forcibly put her here like a hostage. He was completely oblivious to the maiden's feelings, she was nervous because of her little crush, not whatever Tanabe had done. The long silence the two sat in for so many hours would have to end at some point, Momon decided to speak first.

"I apologize for my associate's behavior, consider his actions a result of my request."

"You...Don't need to apologize."

 _He wanted to talk to me!?_ Momon thought it would be best to act like a responsible leader before Tanabe could make any enemies with his foolish behavior, instead Evileye had come to the assumption that Ainz wanted to be alone with her. Her face was absolutely burning.

"While I have you here, might I ask you why you think so many people were needed to accompany the princess? Sending off the Kingdom's best warriors would leave them vulnerable to attack after all."

This was just strategic talk to change the mood, he already knew exactly what was going on. Keeping the news of their departure a secret from other nations was impossible but the Empire was far too cautious to launch a direct attack just because they'd left, more likely than not they would send a group of soldiers to ambush them as they passed across the border just to assess the situation. Once they realized just what sort of business would be taking place they would most definitely attempt to intervene once again, the trip back would be dangerous, slaying enemies was easy but protecting someone else at the same time made things complicated.

"I...Would be surprised if we weren't attacked on the way there. No Theocracy forces are waiting to accompany us after we reach the border, I'd make the assumption that we were all needed not for escape but for safety during travel."

"Yes...That's what I was thinking as well. In fact with how far out we are already we should be combat ready at all times, we know the enemy is not afraid of making a daring move when they don't risk losing much."

Obviously she wouldn't need protection from the Theocracy, if they were to be attacked in middle of enemy territory the chances of escape were almost nonexistent for these people. No, the princess was to be protected from anyone they met along the way, it was why many others rode on horses outside the carriages for the sake of detecting and defending against any spells or attacks that came from range.

The Theocracy wouldn't guarantee their safety even when they made their way into the country, if the princess just so happened to die in an unfortunate accident, then the Kingdom would just have to suffer. This mission was one they were set up to fail, there was no denying that. The only question was why the princess would even suggest such a thing to begin with, and even more importantly, why only the nobility even attempted to stop them. If Momon had to take a guess, there were likely secret dealings he didn't know about and they were all just sacrificial lambs for the sake of profit. Well he had no intentions of playing the pawn for long.

"Your assumption shows a bit of experience, I am surprised."

"Yes...I am...A bit different than I appear. I hope you would understand..."

"I am aware, rest assured my opinion of you remains in high regard."

"Really..!?"

"Indeed."

She looked down towards her hands for a bit in silence. Momon knew very well that she was older than she appeared, but the means of how were still unknown to him. His passive skill Undead Blessing would have alerted him to the presence of other undead normally but Evileye wore an enchanted ring that hid her status as a vampire, he was shocked to realize the truth once she removed it.

"I see…"

"I often hide this trait because of my past, that and the scorn I might receive from others."

"Your past? Could you have done something you wish to forget?"

The clues were coming together in his head already, the woman in front of him was far more interesting than he'd originally given her credit for.

"A very long time ago I was responsible for the fall of an entire kingdom...It's quite ironic that I am now fighting to protect one."

Yes, now it made sense. SHE was Landfall, the vampire princess of legend. Maybe having her switch places with that goofball wasn't so bad after all.

"I've heard stories of you, though most seem convinced of your death at the hands of the 'Thirteen Heroes'."

"I was indeed defeated by them...However I became their companion after some time, for a long while I was able to enjoy my adventures with them. Since then I have hidden my identity and kept my past a secret to most."

And that was the cherry on top. The strongest magic caster in the Kingdom was an undead, was a companion of yet another group of interest that'd been brought to his attention, had the insight to predict the outcome of their journey and even trusted him enough to reveal her past to him willingly. He'd been so preoccupied with what his subordinates could gather about the world around them that he missed his chance to bring a new asset to his side, one that likely knew more about this world than what he would find in a few textbooks he couldn't even read.

"I can understand your concern for such things, I will be sure to keep quiet about such things in the future."

They sat quietly for a little while, her reveal was a lot to take in and he knew there was a lot more she could tell him. However those stories would have to wait, the trip would be long and he didn't want to make things too awkward.

"If it is alright with you, I'd like to have a more in-depth conversation later, after we return from this mission."

"I...Yes, I'd be fine with that."

To him it was a chance to uncover more valuable information, and to her it was about the same as being asked on a date. In a way it was kind of embarrassing to her to be so flustered that she could hardly breathe, to think that one man's words could put her on the verge of fainting. With that embarrassment however, came victory. She couldn't wait to rub this in the other girl's faces.

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"So…"

Tanabe wasn't much of a conversation starter, back home he often sat quietly and just listened to what everyone else was saying but now that the talking had died down he wasn't sure what to say. Evileye's teammates were a lively bunch but even they couldn't ignore the big red elephant in the room, their curiosity over his origin and history with Momon lead them to stare at him awkwardly for awhile now and he didn't know what to do about it.

"I'm not exactly the most interesting person, I just so happen to run into him a long while ago. He wanted to put together a team and I had nothing better to do so I just kinda joined in."

His half baked excuse didn't sound very convincing but they wouldn't question his honesty.

"When Momon arrived we'd heard that it was just him and Nabe who pulled off such amazing feats, is it true that you and Nightfall really had a hand in them?"

Lakyus led the conversation on, hoping that she could get some general information without prying too far.

"Yes and No. You could say we technically helped but Momon really did most of everything he claims himself, consider me a supporting character."

A giant red warrior claiming to play a supporting role sounded dumb, he knew it would but it would be a lot easier on him if these ladies saved their questions for Momon. If he accidentally said something that guy didn't agree with then he'd only be getting himself in more trouble.

"I assume you buff your allies in combat then?"

They were asking too many questions, at this rate he'd end up saying something he shouldn't.

"Something like that, just know that everyone else is more helpful in combat than I would be."

The women looked at each other strangely for a moment before Gagaran spoke up.

"So is it true Nightfall is just as strong as Momon?"

"I've never seen them compete so you can't ask me, though she did throw a bookshelf at me once."

The looks on their faces were priceless, he had to stifle a chuckle. If they had to fight then her physical power would be made apparent anyway, no harm in telling the truth here. In all honesty Momon was just a wannabe warrior when it came to stats, he probably wouldn't even be able to scratch Shalltear but they didn't need to know all of that.

"I guess appearances really can be deceiving, well our shorty has proved that to us more than once already."

"Yeah, it's always the little ones who surprise you. Bet Momon didn't even realize just what she was capable when he met her."

"Oh yeah, about that. The shorty wouldn't want us saying anything but she kind of has a the hots for your leader, does he happen to be in a relationship with Nightfall or Nabe already?"

"Please, that guy wouldn't know a girl wanted him unless you told him to his face. No worries on that front."

Ainz's ignorance to these things was understandable as he was undead and felt no such desires but there were indeed worries on that front, Shalltear would not take kindly to Evileye getting close to Momon in the slightest. The drama would be his pleasure to witness.

"Well that's good to know, that means she'll need more love tips from the Lovely Warrior Full of Mystery. I have more experience as a woman than all of you."

Tanabe stopped for a moment to simply stare, not because he doubted the legitimacy on the advice Gagaran could give but because of the second thing she'd said.

"That's...That's a woman."

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The tension in the carriage was almost tangible, Nightfall and Nabe on one side with the Warrior Captain and Brain on the other. Normally Gazef would be riding in the same carriage as royalty but this time was different, the princess made it very clear that Climb was the only one she needed around her, no exceptions.

With his usefulness yet to be determined he'd decided to share a cabin with Brain, a decision he would come to regret. Before even opening the door he could feel the hostility emanating from inside, one could almost mistake the place for a battlefield. He didn't know what exactly happened between Brain and Nightfall but he didn't want to take a chance at the two turning on one another, so being the leader he was he bravely ventured into the carriage ready to separate them if need be. He could only feel lucky when Nabe also decided to join them, her teammate should be able to keep her calm. He was very wrong.

Since their departure the atmosphere hadn't settled down even slightly, it felt like the two of them would instantly be at each other's throats should one so much as open their mouth. Well Gazef would be the unlucky one to open his mouth, sitting through this was just not something he could handle.

"Nightfall, I didn't quite understand the results of your plan against Eight Fingers, mind clearing up what happened?"

He didn't know her very well, this was the most he could come up with to talk about.

"They will help us conditionally, once the empire decides to make an aggressive move we can count on them to assist us then with their resource trafficking."

That was a good sign, if Eight Fingers really planned to assist them then that would make life a lot easier should their excursion to the Theocracy fail miserably. The good news aside, his reason for speaking turned out to be a waste of time. Nightfall never even took her eyes off of Brain, his attempt to calm them down had no effect.

"That is good to know, I will keep it in mind."

He made a quick glance over to Nabe who was waiting silently with her eyes closed, she wouldn't be helping any time soon. For once he was at a loss, he wasn't built to handle unstable situations like this when he wasn't the one directly involved. For a moment he stopped to close his own eyes and simply wish that something could get him out of here before the tension got to him, he should have been more careful with what he wished for.

There was a low rumbling outside, the carriages came to a halt. They all knew what would be coming next.

"It seems as though we have other matters to attend to."

Nightfall stood up without delay, she was short enough that she could stand up straight even in the cramped carriage. She made her way towards the door, ending the lethal staring contest with Brain, who in turn let out a breath he'd been holding for some time.

The ambush was expected, earlier than they thought but expected nonetheless. A few groups of knights with some scouts in the background, that was the kind of force they expected, the force meant to test the strength of the princess' vanguard. These few men would allow the Kingdom to show the world exactly what they were capable of, even from a losing standpoint.

Nightfall opened the door and her eyes fell upon on the adversaries who would be throwing away their lives for the sake of the Kingdom. There should have been a few dozen soldiers.

Instead there were a few thousand.

Time for the heroes to show off, can't believe we're at twenty chapters already.


	21. Empire?

A vampire who can cast holy magic just sounds like cheating

Please Enjoy

The effectiveness of the adamantite class heroes was even higher than the princess could have anticipated, in fact it was astonishing to see just how quickly they dealt with the first wave of soldiers in front of them without so much as taking a single hit. In the front of the madness was Momon who was assisted by Evileye, the two having made quite a force for the incoming men.

"These soldiers aren't trained very well."

"They aren't trained at all."

Ainz could tell that much pretty easily, these men were just swinging their swords like baseball bats, not an ounce of discipline in their attacks. If that weren't enough of a giveaway the armor they wore was minimal, only protecting vital areas such as the head and chest, not like it would do them much good though. One swing was enough to cleave several people in half and with Evileye backing him up they might as well be training dummies, it'd be less painful for them in general if they just surrendered or lined up in an orderly fashion.

Now why would the Empire send a bunch of untrained civilians who were essentially cannon fodder? That was the real question plaguing Momon's mind right now, the force was too big to just be a test but also too weak to be considered an actual threat, what could they possibly stand to gain from sending these people at them? Well given their tenacity they probably weren't average citizens, possibly convicts or slaves actually. He stopped for a moment and took a glance around, everywhere he looked was the same thing.

Most of the enemies were easily disarmed and disabled to prevent unnecessary killing but the more strongly willed of them met their end all the same, everyone else seemed to be having just as easy a time as him. Even the useless knights they'd brought along were racking up a generous amount of bodies.

"This army was just a bluff, they attempted to scare us with numbers and it proved fruitless."

Yes, that's the only thing that made sense to him. Using a bunch of extra bodies to feign having a powerful army to force them to surrender without a fight. Honestly they should have known a scare tactic would be useless, the warriors of the Kingdom were of the stubborn sort, they would rather die in combat than to surrender out of fear, this had been proved to him the moment he saw Gazef's men come back for him in his initial encounter with Theocracy forces in Carne Village so long ago.

They should have known things would turn out this way, so why even waste the resources? To just pull the adamantites out to get a good look at what they could do? That was far too convenient of an excuse. He looked towards the back line, the real knights were far off from the fight on their horses, simply watching the slaughter. These men weren't enough to even pull out his best moves, what information could they possibly gather? Leading the heroes out of their carriages into…

It hit him. He turned around instantly and sprinted back towards the carriages.

"Momon!?"

He didn't answer her, he was putting all his effort into his speed. He was so focused on showing off that he didn't notice it before but it began to make more and more sense, the strategy wasn't to test them but to lure them away from the princess.

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Lying in wait, watching the horizon was the godkin Zesshi Zetsumei. The friendly Captain was nice enough to relay to her that the Kingdom and it's best warriors would be "Coming for tea.". She didn't exactly get the metaphor but it didn't matter much to her anyway, her destined partner was on his way and she just couldn't wait to take him on.

Her life had been long and boring at this point, no warrior she met was a challenge and those old men and women had stuck her in a dark room defending gear that no one else probably had the capacity to use anyway. Well there was one, but now she was gone too.

That "Wind Goddess" had sent most of them into an uproar initially and while they now tried to pretend that she was just a mistake who could be forgotten, their actions began to contradict their words. Regardless of just who that girl was she was still a remnant of a past that the very country was founded on, and they let her slip right through their fingers and into the enemy's.

Her power would be an asset the enemy could use well, assuming they captured her rather than killing her. No one wanted to admit it but their rude behavior towards the supposed goddess could easily sway her opinion on which side was worthy of her power, this miscalculation stirred up too much controversy for them to hide. Their win against the kingdom should have been certain, now there were those who honestly feared the thought of having to take down one of the deities they praised, a conflict which could make the very foundations of the Theocracy crumble.

"Serves them right, they've made our lives too complicated to be justified."

She could care less about their rules and government, if she needed to take on a Goddess as well as another person who was even more powerful then so be it, the thought alone was exciting as is. Though she couldn't help but wonder just what kind of monster was waiting for her, what horrifyingly sadistic man would present the biggest challenge she'd ever face.

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"Our forces seem to be far stronger than they anticipated."

Princess Renner watched the battle with a smug grin. She'd been told to wait in her carriage but saw no reason to do so, she already knew what the outcome of this fight would be, all she had to do was stand out of the way and wait. The utter annihilation of their forces would be proof towards their military might and prevent them from interfering any further, except that things would take a bit of a dramatic twist once the fight was over. She looked over to Climb and wondered if he would still see her as a shining beacon in the dark when this was all over.

Well she could easily force him to view her that way regardless of her actions but there was no fun in that, it would be better to simply make his life choices for him and listen to his cute squealing. Mind control was interesting in that it could force someone to obey another without necessarily changing who they were as an individual, as a result the victim wasn't just a brainless zombie but an obedient follower who retained all their personality traits. Climb was still himself and yet he couldn't help but do everything she asked. Thoughts like this often brought a scary smile to the princess' face and this time was no exception.

"Princess!"

Her moment of satisfaction was almost literally cut off, the blade was coming right for her. In brave display of heroism, Climb was right in front of her, having taken the stab right to his shoulder and launching a rather shaky counterattack, throwing the would be assassin stumbling backwards.

It happened so quickly that Renner wasn't able to fully process what she'd just witnessed, one moment she felt like giggling over her excitement and the next Climb was throwing someone away from her, no part of this was expected.

"Not a bad attack kid, but taking the stab was a mistake."

The assailant's voice was slightly muffled and hard to comprehend but Climb got the gist of it all the same, after all he was the one who took the hit. That attack didn't just sting horribly it also left a strange numbness in his arm. Paralysis, the blade was poisoned and he'd taken a direct hit.

"Climb..! There's no need to get hurt for me, you can go get the others!"

It was more of a suggestion than an order, because of that Climb didn't move at all. She was reluctant to say anything more out of the suspicion it may cause. The assassin decided to speak up in response to her instead.

"You should listen to her and save yourself the trouble and just take a nap, I'll need the princess for awhile."

Climb wasn't having any of that, he stood his ground regardless of the possible consequences. The little scuffle hadn't evaded the attention of their allies, he could already see Momon himself in the distance heading towards them, all he needed to do was last a little while longer. He could have easily accomplished this in any other circumstance but the poison was acting quick, if only Renner hadn't insisted that he would be her only bodyguard this situation could be avoided. Wait, that raised some very concerning questions.

How did they plan to just snatch her away from a group of highly trained knights with just one assassin? They didn't, they knew she would be left vulnerable in this situation somehow, but where could they acquire such information? He did not have time to think it through, there was little time and the moment that man got his hands on the princess it would be all over, even if he couldn't escape he could still very easily hold the princess hostage. He wouldn't give up, he'd dedicated his life to her and regardless of his condition he would give it his all.

With as much strength as he could muster he lunged towards his attacker through the air and brought his sword down hard, the strike itself was strong but too slow to catch his opponent, it wasn't a total miss but he'd put himself in a horrible position.

"Good attempt but you should work on your follow through."

His enemy came in for the finishing a blow and small smirk came to his face. He'd been given that advice already, he wasn't in any shape to go through with his regular plan but this would have to do. He turned abruptly and took the attack right to his side but paid it back in full and then some, his opponent was not expecting him to purposefully take another attack just to land a hit. With the dagger still firmly in his side Climb used all of his weight to deliver a horizontal strike right through his chest.

The blood splattered along the grass, both men were down.

With the poison coursing through him Climb couldn't move an inch but he didn't need to, he'd won the battle, his first real battle and it only lasted a few moments. If he could laugh he'd be doing it, even if it wasn't much he'd at least landed a decisive blow. The princess should have surely ran far from the scene by now. He struggled to move his head even slightly in her direction, he needed to know she was okay. What he saw nearly gave him a heart attack, the princess had gone nowhere, she was too busy being pinned to the carriage by yet another assassin. And they seemed to be...Talking

He'd messed up, there was no way he would have even guessed that there would be more than one but it only made sense. His mistake would cost them dearly...Well it would have normally.

"Uh excuse you, we need that."

The assassin was hoisted up by the back of her cloak, a hero had shown up to save the day. It wasn't the one Climb expected.

"You know I really wanted to avoid getting involved in any of this and stay hidden but the moment I take a peek outside you idiots are over here attacking the princess."

Renner was stunned, she didn't remember contracting this big of a warrior to join her on her trip, if anyone she expected Momon to be her saving grace not whoever this was. Besides that there was also climb lying motionless on the floor past him and it was her fault, staying locked in the carriage may have been a much smarter idea after all.

"So princess, are you ok-"

She'd already run off, she was far too worried about Climb to even care about her savior.

"Well okay...Still better than some of the conversations I have with Seashell."

Chasing after her wasn't his business, saving her from a potential threat must have been more than enough effort on his part for the others to consider him a productive teammate. When he saw an army waiting for them he was sure to let the ladies of Blue Roses out first and just stay seated, he'd only gotten up to show up at the end and make an appearance so no would say he did nothing.

"Put me down you lunatic."

"That's not nice."

Holding a relatively small person who was yelling and flailing angrily with daggers wasn't as easy as it looked, luckily her weapon wasn't capable of even scratching his armor so she was no more than an angry child from his perspective. She paid for her mistake soon enough, he tucked her under his arm like a pet, no amount of flailing would save her now.

Letting out a sigh he turned to face the battle going on just out of sight, among the death and destruction being dealt in the background he could point out Nabe firing off lightning bolts and Shalltear basically walking through everyone in front her. You could tell who was from Nazarick due to the amount of dead bodies they piled up in comparison to the captives the others had taken. For the most part it seemed like everyone was completely oblivious to the situation happening back here save for a few knights and the dark hero charging towards him at full speed. How embarrassing might it have been if they actually got away with such a sneaky strategy? Not like it mattered, Momon was just about there and he knew he would have to navigate through yet another difficult conversation.

"Tanabe, what happened here?"

Momon didn't sound like his usual self, his panic induced state had caused his Perfect Warrior to falter, making him begin to slip further towards the form of the undead sorcerer Ainz Ooal Gown. It was clear that once Momon realized just what was going on that he almost completely lost his composure, he even had a bit of an aura seeping out from that armor.

"Calm down, I just caught this runt trying to capture the princess. Her blonde boyfriend took care of the other one."

"Runt!?"

Her reaction was ignored, instead Ainz looked over towards the princess kneeling over Climb and calmed down.

"It seems I was mistaken about your character."

"Yeah well I told you I was trustworthy."

"Useful, not trustworthy."

"Thanks boss, that sure means a lot."

The sarcasm wasn't anything to take note of, all that mattered was the princess' safety. With his primary concerns taken care of, Momon needed time to consider his next move as he wandered away from the other player. He could probably take credit for leaving Tanabe behind to watch the princess, honestly that man would probably be happy to have the attention shifted off of him. What scared him the most was just how effective the Empire's strategy was, the people of the Kingdom were almost made into the biggest fools on the continent.

It was as simple as making all the battle hungry brutes run out into combat and leaving their leader vulnerable, truly it would be disgraceful from a strategic standpoint. Had Tanabe not lacked behind he may have very well been chasing down a quick little rogue right now, at worst he would have to drop the act as Momon and ensure she wasn't taken away. Now he knew just what mistake he'd made, like a noob playing chess for the first time and just leaving his king out in the open with no thought for the consequences, an actual mistake he'd made before in his younger days.

For the Empire to bank on such a tactic though, had the Kingdom made such a mistake before? No, if that were the case then they wouldn't be making it now, having a weakness like that in international conflict was like begging to be destroyed. If the Kingdom hadn't made this mistake before then wasn't it possible this really was meant to just harass them? To take a shot in the dark and try to win big?

"Wait a minute...Haven't I seen this situation before?"

It took him a moment of trying to remember in order to realize the truth. He'd definitely seen this strategy before executed in a much different way, an event that came to his mind earlier and yet he failed to make the connection. The Theocracy had sent men once before to lure out Gazef and kill him before hadn't they? They'd all assumed these were the forces of the Empire but there was no proof to back up that thought process, these men were mostly generic soldiers with no clear allegiance.

"Then...Is the Theocracy…"

His mind was racing, he'd already made the assumption that their venture to the Slane Theocracy was just a setup devised by others operating from the shadows but to think that there was the possibility that even the Theocracy was in on trying to get them killed was mind boggling. If that turned out to be true then that meant that just about everyone was trying to kill them right now, this was a trip they were not supposed to complete.

They were in checkmate, the stakes were high and there was no turning back now.

"That's too bad, all they've done is give me a stage to take the world by storm."

He wasn't some cliche antagonist but even he felt like he could just let out an evil laugh and no one would care, this situation was just too sweet of a deal.

No matter how thoroughly this trap was planned out, they could not account for the unstoppable force that was him and his followers. The people of this world were weak and frail, he alone could decimate their armies and siege their capitals without breaking a sweat, they wouldn't even be able to touch him. Now stacked against odds that would seem impossible for any man to overcome, he laughed at the thought of crushing all their notions of strength and showing the world his might.

He'd lost his chance at creating his own kingdom for now but soon he would an even more grand opportunity to siege this world, his enemies would know their mistake before long and by the time they realized it he would already be standing at the top.

The world was a box of jewels waiting to be claimed and the one who would claim them was none other than the undead sorcerer himself. His plans had been smashed to pieces but now everything was his to take. He could already see the day of his triumph, the day when all would bend their knee and only have one thing to say:

 _All hail Ainz Ooal Gown._

Awkward schedules make for awkward release times


	22. Sloppy Transition

Is it just me or is Shalltear's hair very plastic looking?

Please Enjoy

The warriors of the Kingdom had no choice but to keep moving forward.

The captured soldiers of the previous battle knew almost nothing about who they were truly after and for the most part were blindingly ignorant of world events up until this point. To be frank, they were nothing but civilians who'd been forced into fighting. Their lack of information combined with their mixed backgrounds made it obvious that whoever plotted the attack wanted to keep their identities hidden, even the assassins happened to be hired mercenaries who refused to talk and with little room to even think of something like interrogation, the call was made to capture them and bring them along for the trip.

Was it a comfortable decision to make? Of course not but their options were too limited to complain, the longer they sat there and thought about it the more time they gave their enemies to regroup and commit to another ambush. Questions could wait.

Due to this mentality no one but Momon pieced together the truth behind the attack they'd endured. Upon realizing that literally everyone was against the success of their mission it wasn't too hard to narrow down the group of suspects, the only thing that bothered him was the coordination of said attack, the whole ordeal felt staged. If the enemy knew exactly what they were up against then that meant there was a traitor in their midst, unfortunately he had no proof to pin down any one person.

"Can you not glare at me like that, Seashell?"

"Stop calling me that."

And to make matters worse he couldn't even pass these concerns on to someone else who might've been worth discussing them with, instead he was stuck between his team members in this carriage with hardly any space. Now that they were all thoroughly in high alert status, it should have been expected for their casual seating arrangements to be compromised in case of another battle.

"All I said was that him and Evileye made a good team, that's not so bad is it?"

"Stop. Talking."

Tanabe enjoyed egging Shalltear on too, specifically by pointing out that another female had the opportunity to fight alongside her supreme one. Now Momon needed a plan to display his power in front of the world as well as a plan for preventing any turncoats from ending up on his side, which meant he needed to find that traitor immediately.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Entoma, are you leaving?"

"Yep."

Solution watched her buggy sister pack her things and get ready to head out with a slightly skeptical expression. Because her assignment was given by Demiurge she knew she had no right to question why she was there, however it was awkward to have her suddenly trying to leave without having seemingly done anything.

"Did you complete whatever task you were sent here to do?"

"Yep."

"Did you ever plan on telling us about it?"

"Nope."

"You told that red monster."

"Sir Demiurge told me to tell him to see his reaction."

"...Does Sebas know?"

"Nope."

She was curious but also concerned, why would Demiurge send someone new to fulfill such an assignment when her and Sebas were already there and readily able to assist? It made sense at first to send Entoma only as a lookout to keep watch while they were gone, but if Entoma was completely done with her mission then that explanation wouldn't make much sense once the two returned.

"Oh, are you leaving, Entoma?"

"Yessir."

"Then you be careful on the way back to Nazarick, I imagine causing an unnecessary problem will not be taken lightly."

"I'll do my best."

Solution looked between the two worriedly, the nonchalant behavior was awkward to her, like she was the only one getting worried over nothing.

"Yeah...Good luck."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The rest of the trip went rather quietly, too quietly in fact. Moving between countries was always a dangerous task regardless of who you were or how you moved, however after that first incident they hadn't encountered any other hostile forces, not even a rogue monster or two.

Normally this should have been taken as a sign of good luck but instead it only caused an increase in paranoia, things going so well for them now was hard to believe.

"Princess, it looks like we've finally made it."

"I can see that, I'd like to check on Climb before I go out."

Gazef sat back in his seat and closed his eyes, being the princess' bodyguard was far more demanding than what most would expect. Climb was still down from the poison in his system and treatment was limited as they'd been on the move through the countryside, with that being said the Warrior Captain himself became the most qualified warrior to be at her side at all times. She was far more intimidating than he could have imagined.

With Climb gone that innocent little girl became a cold and brutally rational individual, nothing he said seemed to matter to her in the slightest and when it came to strategy discussion...She was indeed brilliant but her methods were almost too much for Gazef to handle, if that weren't bad enough things would only get worse from here on out.

Arriving in the Theocracy's capital was a good checkpoint but now things would begin to heat up even more, escorting the princess through enemy territory with a frighteningly small force as well as being prepared for the worst if negotiations went south. The Theocracy had been looking for an excuse to kill the Warrior Captain in the past, no one was in more danger than he was and from his point of view, there was no Ainz Ooal Gown to save his life this time.

"Then let's go see him, I'm sure he's regained consciousness by now."

Arguing with the princess was foolish, better to just listen to what she suggested for now.

He wasn't the only one having an awkward conversation, after realizing he had an opportunity to stretch his legs Tanabe very eagerly escaped outside with Nabe, who was making sure he didn't cause a fuss. With those two gone Momon was left with the agitated Nightfall, whom once again completely avoided eye contact.

It concerned Momon to see her this way as it always had but he wasn't sure what to say about it, her personality could change on a dime and then he'd be stuck regretting his decisions yet again. Not seeing a way out of the situation he decided to experiment a little, sitting quietly wouldn't gain him much ground.

"Shalltear."

He called her by her actual name, a sign that what he had to say was not between two team members but between master and servant.

"The endeavors you have been through thus far were entirely outside of my expectations, I'd like to take this time to apologize."

Starting off with an apology only confused her, in her eyes Ainz should never have to apologize to his guardians, they were just tools for his success. Her silent confusion didn't escape his perception, he decided to roll with it a little more.

"My questionable decisions have lead to many problems and you were the one forced to sit through them, if I could somehow ease your discomfort do not hesitate to tell me."

All he got in response was a stare, these were not words she was either prepared for nor wanted to hear. An apology from a superior could often be seen as an excuse to gain some sort of gratification but for someone as emotionally attached as Shalltear she was only able to feel guilt, guilt for having been the one he felt indebted to, guilt for forcing him to behave in such a manner to someone below him.

"Lord Ainz…"

She was quiet for a little while longer, he knew to simply be patient.

"I can't find myself blaming you for anything that's happened to me, I should be the one apologizing."

"No. The fault is mine, I won't hear any argument for that. You are a valuable ally whose life I jeopardized without proper consideration, now you have been forced into an even more uncomfortable situation and cannot even return to Nazarick for the time being. I owe you far more than just an apology for my mistake and I'd like the opportunity to do what I can for you."

Even more silence.

"There is nothing I could ask for other than to continue serving you."

"That is surprising, you used to be far more passionate. Has that man said something to frighten you away from me?"

"I really don't feel like having my heart toyed with, please don't bring that up."

He'd hit a nerve.

"I would not do something like that."

"Then are you implying that you have any romantic interest whatsoever in me, or even Albedo for that matter?"

That was difficult to answer. He certainly cared about them, there was no doubt about that but romance was hard for a skeleton-type undead to comprehend. First and foremost was his forcibly being calmed down when he felt any real excitement, a little trait that could be described as both a burden and an effective tool for making rational decisions without emotional bias.

Besides being kept in a seemingly stoic calm most of the time there was the simple truth that he just didn't have those kinds of physical desires anymore, he was a skeleton after all and thus there was plenty missing from his biology. To tell her that he had any real desire to see them in that way would be an outright lie but to say he felt nothing at all would also be wrong, really she'd put him in quite the difficult position.

"To be completely honest, there are certain...Circumstances that make that question hard to answer."

She didn't even blink, the same treatment Brain had gotten was now being delivered onto the ruler of Nazarick. He knew that excuse wouldn't get him very far in this conversation, it was far too serious to be glossed over. His only solace came in the thought that Tanabe had still not told her everything she'd originally wanted to know, maybe that would be useful.

"So I see you have not learned as much about us as you seemed to have wanted, that information plays a big role in my inability to answer."

He expected her to sit forward and ask yet another creepy question, instead she seemed to relax as she sat back in her seat.

"I understand. You don't need to answer, Lord Ainz."

For a moment he was dumbfounded, this was the kind of situation in which he expected the tension to only get higher and higher but now that outcome seemed to just die.

"Are you sure about that? I thought that you might have only gotten more curious."

"Anything that I wanted to know has already been told to me, he lived up to his word and is still working to help me in any way he can."

Not only did she just give up on the argument she also decided to defend the one who'd put her in this mess to begin with, his confusion was matched only by his annoyance.

"I see…"

Just what truths could that man have spilled? It couldn't have been anything to negatively affect Shalltear's opinion of him, then was it just the honest truth? No, it couldn't have been. If it were just that then why would she jump back to defend him so suddenly? He hadn't told her the full truth but whatever he did tell her had led to an interesting response, his list of things to look into only got longer and longer.

He needed to keep an eye on her and that other player, evaluate the usefulness of the Theocracy for his plans, use that evaluation in order to stage a scene that would allow him to establish his own kingdom and even go on a "date" with a tiny vampire, his unlife just kept getting more and more complicated.

By the time he even had his thoughts in order he quickly remembered where he was at the moment. There was no time to consider all these things now, he would cross each bridge as he got to it.

"Alright then 'Nightfall', I won't pretend to understand exactly how you feel nor do I have any intention of letting our conversation end with just this but you said that you still wish to serve me faithfully. If this is true then it is time we begin to show the world the might of Ainz Ooal Gown."

His moment of triumph drew ever nearer.

Another awkward poorly written transition phase to add to the collection.


	23. Suspicion

If you like the concept but not the execution feel free to give it a try yourself, I'd love to see which way you'd take the story

Please Enjoy

Originally the Kingdom sought to win the war through the abuse of their own corruption to heavily burden the other nations and put a strain on their resources, should they be successful the rest would be as easy as watching the other nations collapse from the inside out.

Then the princess came along.

Her words of reformation and peaceful resolution lead them to the situation they found themselves in now. A king sending his daughter into the depths of enemy territory was about the same as surrendering under the guise of forming alliances, the public opinion of them would remain fully intact simply because they were ignorant of the politics behind it all. They would become willing pawns and not even realize it.

As the oldest and most powerful of the human nations, the Theocracy could easily coerce cooperation from their neighbors with military might alone but this opportunity was just too enticing to pass up. With complete dominance in the human world they could do as they pleased and no one could say anything about it, even disposing of the already unfavored Warrior Captain would be a piece of cake.

It was an excellent plan, one that should have guaranteed complete and total victory for the Theocracy. The mightiest and most influential people of the Kingdom had strolled right into the palm of their hands so easily it almost felt like a joke, they had the princess under their control already and the rest of her country would soon follow suit.

Or at least that's what would have happened under normal circumstances.

Being as confident as they were, they would never have expected to see such powerful warriors stepping through their doors. Two giant warriors, a raven haired woman who's glare alone sent chills down their spines and another shorter girl whom they couldn't even begin to guess the threat of. An adventurer group? No, they looked more like a band of highly trained professional bodyguards.

Murmurs echoed through the halls of the palace, many wondering whether the princess was truly on their side, if so then where had these important looking men and women come from? The design of their armor, the way they carried themselves about, they were like an emissary from another world entirely. Funny how accurate they truly were.

"Ah, princess...You've brought quite the entourage with you…"

A thin man draped in long red robes stepped forward to greet them, his clothing sagging almost as much as the wrinkles in his face. He must have been in his late seventies at least, his droopy cheeks and sunken in eyes showing his age. Really one might have wondered what was still keeping this man together, his similarities to that necromancer Nabe incinerated not too long ago was uncanny.

With a quick glance he took in the party before him. Aside from the Warrior Captain and the princess there were no faces he knew, on top of that he could already see a clear difference in group's composition.

On one side of the princess was a group of women who were more along what he'd been expecting. Cloaks, satchels for items, clear organization of leadership, anyone with a modicum of experience could likely tell you each of their roles and the value of their equipment without too much difficulty. On the other side however, matters weren't so simple.

The armor of the two warriors alone probably cost a fortune, even as the highest of adventurers it would likely take years of work and experience before they could get something like that made, not to mention their weaponry. It was intimidating but nowhere near as confusing as the other two. Men in big heavy armor was one thing but it was at the very least easy to see what made them strong, the same could not be said for the women in front of them.

If the stories were true then Nabe was a magic caster, and yet her clothing seemed so...Casual. No robes, no staff, she seemed so basic and yet was rumored to be able to cast tier three magic. Was it possible she didn't need such things to cast that level of magic, even at such a seemingly young age? No that shouldn't be possible, the girl must have simply come like this out of courtesy, yes that was the only logical conclusion he could come to.

 _And the other girl…_

The moment he turned his head and realized Shalltear was glaring at him he lost his nerve and immediately looked away, settling his nervous gaze back onto the princess. Negotiations were supposed to be smooth but there was no telling just how these "adventurers" might behave. With no clear way to gauge the strength of the Renner's comrades all he could do was hope things went off without a hitch, what was left of his livelihood may have been at stake should things go awry.

"They are no less than the strongest men and women of the Kingdom, sir. Each individual here holds some influence within the kingdom in one way or another, traveling so far makes it too dangerous to come with little protection."

The princess herself finally spoke up, still playing the innocent girl everyone knew she wasn't. She could not be blamed for this behavior, reading the room and staying in character around her allies was hard enough as is and it would only be more difficult once the meeting began.

With how things were set up all she would need to do is argue points to support the Kingdom while also subtly agreeing to terms set by the Theocracy, avoiding suspicion and keeping to her side of the bargain. For now she just needed to herd her allies together and keep things from getting out of hand, shouldn't be too hard with how many people there were. She would be alongside Gazef as well as the two adamantite teams, no Climb and no other outside distractions.

"Then please follow me if you will, princess and company."

This was it, in a few short minutes everything would finally kick into motion. There was very little that could go wrong now…

"Excuse me, could you point me towards the bathroom?"

Every pair of eyes were on Tanabe now, a gargantuan man such as that raising his hand and interjecting so randomly was surely confusing to most. Now of all times was the worst for him to go doing what he wanted, so it came as no surprise that the other members of Darkness could tell right away that he was simply looking for an excuse to get away from the group. For a moment the Aura of Despair leaked out from the mass of armor and bones that was Momon, his previous interaction with Shalltear having left a bad enough taste in his mouth as is.

"Well yes...I believe one of my assistants here can show you the way-"

"Nabe, go with him."

"Yes, Momon."

"Actually I think I'll be fine, no need to be worried for my safety."

The two stared at each other for a bit.

"You have a bad habit of stumbling into problems unnecessarily."

"Well if it bugs ya so much, then you can just wait here for me yourself."

He put him in a bind, keeping the entire group waiting just because he couldn't trust one of his own allies would not only look bad but also show his enemies that he lacked cooperation. He had to let him go unsupervised, what fatal mistake it could have been to allow him free reign in this country. Regardless of how powerful he was with Perfect Warrior active he would still be no match for an actual warrior at level one hundred, the only threat to him in this situation was Shalltear and she was already behaving a little too questionably to be completely trusted. In fact...

"I will wait for him Momon, you all may go on without us."

Of course, he should have known this would happen...Shalltear was the one who would volunteer to stay behind and lead him in the right direction, in a way it was helpful but at the same time it only upset him more. A month ago these two would have been at each other's throats, now there seemed to be some kind of understanding between the two that Ainz was left completely unaware of. Just what kind of information had he shared with her that she would be so willing to help him out like this?

"Yes, that's acceptable, let us move on."

The princess answered for them, seemingly eager to leave two people behind. Having every single member of her group in the same room would be unnecessary, she would also appreciate not having the "strategist" of Darkness glaring at everyone and dissecting every sentence that came from their mouths.

There was no longer room to debate their next course of action, everyone was eager to get a move on and Momon couldn't speak up without sounding suspicious. Now the group was moving forward and once again he felt powerless, the exact opposite of how he should ever be feeling. He'd gotten used to being an immortal king, now here he was watching the jester go off and throw away everything he worked for. No amount of forced calming would improve his mood now, he was pissed and soon enough everyone else would know it too.

He would not lose his opportunity to claim what was his, even by force if he had to. It was not a plan he preferred but failure would not be a possibility, he would win and he most certainly would not be thwarted by a bored troll who watched television all day.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Albedo, are you okay?"

There was no response, the succubus was too tired to even answer. Ainz had only been gone for about a week and already the effects of the loss weighed down on Albedo like a ton of bricks. Besides keeping the place in order there was also maintaining relationships and resource/information gathering outside of the walls of their home. While these tasks could be handled rather easily, she readily poured all of her effort into being the overseer she was.

Every little detail was thoroughly inspected, no mistakes could be allowed to be made in the absence of their ruler. She'd become so engrossed in her work that she hardly slept, instead opting to spend days on end making sure everything went as smoothly as possible. Top that off with the additional job of watching over and questioning their new little hostage and she was buried in responsibilities that soon got the better of her.

This behavior did not go unnoticed by the other guardians, which is why Aura was currently checking in on her. Every guardian shared Albedo's enthusiasm to live up to the Overlord's expectations but none of them expected her to just collapse in her room like this, it surely wasn't something Ainz would want to come back and see.

"Oh boy, guess this means I get to take charge as Guardian Overseer…"

That statement was meant to get a rise out of her but Albedo didn't move a muscle, yet another testament to her exhaustion.

"...Or I could ask Demiurge to do something about this but he's been keeping to himself since Entoma came back. I wonder what they're doing."

Aura was just talking to herself, no amount of comments would get Albedo up. Understanding this she decided it best to simply leave for now, if Albedo was down then someone had to play babysitter with the wind goddess until she recovered.

Ainz would come home to more than one exhausted guardian.

xxxxxxxxxx

"These people are a little higher on the power scale compared to anyone we've seen, aren't they?"

"Whatever you have planned, you should know that you have very little time to be goofing around."

Trying to start casual conversation with the small vampire was a flawed plan from the start, Tanabe couldn't have hoped for her to play along. He knew very well that this "conference" would serve as a grand stage for whatever the necromancer had planned but this was a red flag, the princess was far too...Eager to get things started, something he found to be very concerning.

"Soon we'll be dealing with very important political matters, you'd benefit from not saying anything unnecessary."

"Oh I need to keep from saying anything unnecessary?"

"Yes you do, Lord Ainz won't tolerate you behaving like a child."

"I don't really care how he feels honestly, I only wanted to get away so I wouldn't run into…"

He trailed off there, with good reason too. The last time he was here he was four feet tall and had the most unlucky encounter with what he considered to be a sadistic warmongering sociopath, a woman he wouldn't like to see again anytime soon. The fact that she could scare him so much was something fearful in its own right, especially when you considered just how the hierarchy of power functioned in this world.

His previous statement about the levels of the warriors in this country was accurate, they did seem stronger than mostly anyone else you'd run into in this world but that was still not nearly enough to be a threat. Whether his enemy was level five or level fifty changed little, they would be too weak to deal even a point of damage to him. Zesshi, however could put up more than a decent fight, of that he was sure.

"I'll just assume that means you plan to betray us and I can tear you apart without feeling guilty."

He looked down at Shalltear for a moment, trying to discern whether or not that was a serious threat.

"Jokes aside, I really wanted to get away from all that serious business, I've had enough of that to last a lifetime already."

And onto a landmine he stepped, giving the girl another reason to talk about such a sensitive topic as past lives was a mistake he had to cover up immediately.

"About your last life…"

"Nope, we agreed not to talk about that out in the open!"

An awkward silence ensued, Tanabe knew very well that his own blabbering was the cause of all his problems. When it came time to tell her everything she needed to know he did nothing less than spin a tale of epic proportions. While not a confident liar it wasn't all too hard to meld in the NPC's perception of the player's origins with a not so original story about life in a new world, fresh from the pages of a manga he'd been reading before his last days in Yggdrasil.

It was a horrid idea to say the least but he was able to paint a vivid picture of life in Japan, explain the inception like concept of continuing life within a character of his own creation and Shalltear was completely captivated by it all. To her players were no longer just gods who passed from realm to realm but real people who struggled to live contentedly in their previous lives and were forced to move on to find peace.

It was a heart-wrenching story and she believed every bit of it...Unfortunately that meant he was now forced to deal with her sympathy, something he wouldn't expect from her on a day to day basis. Honestly her sudden willingness to cooperate with him made life a bit easier but was still far too suspicious, it was only a matter of time before Ainz pieced it all together and came for him, then he'd really be in trouble.

"Oh...What have we here?"

This was the second time the giant warrior was seen pouncing backwards like a shocked kitten, an action that would be hilarious in any other situation. He knew this would happen, it wouldn't be entertaining any other way, he had to encounter the very person he wanted to avoid.

"You are the red warrior with unrivaled power aren't you?"

"Nope, nope, I don't think so."

His denial fell on deaf ears.

"I've been waiting for you."

"Mhm, yes I see."

There was no time to waste, with someone like her chasing him around there's no way things wouldn't end badly for everyone involved, that being said he decided to take the only logical course of action to get out of this situation.

He grabbed Shalltear by the shoulders and placed her right in front of him, then he turned and ran away.

Life has been real hard on me so you'll have to forgive time gaps and even worse writing than usual.


	24. Destruction

MORE DRAMA WOO

Please Enjoy

"Where are you going!?"

This was the first thing Tanabe heard upon taking off, both women shouting in unison the moment he took his first steps in the opposite direction. Using Shalltear as a meatshield wasn't his brightest idea but it at the very least bought him a few seconds of time to begin his retreat, even if the opposition had blown right past his companion with little resistance.

Zesshi may not have been on par with him or Shalltear in terms of level, but she was certainly high enough that he wouldn't be able to do anything to her without causing a huge mess. Even if Shalltear were to help him the fact remained that they were in the heart of enemy territory, trying to tackle the single most powerful warrior in the country head on and get away with it was a fool's errand. There was also the fact that he was a bit afraid of her but no one else needed to know that.

Thus he decided to run, the same decision he'd made the first time he'd encountered her, only now the stakes were much higher.

Ainz had already revealed to the rest of them just how suicidal their mission really was, the fact that the entire Theocracy was already against them and just waiting for an excuse to attack, that regardless of the hostility presented to them their glorious leader would still find a way to "peacefully" gain the influence of the country and establish his own Kingdom at the expense of their rivals. It was a very well thought out and consequently boring resolution, as a result Tanabe thought to find something else to do in the meantime, a horrible decision that he now regret.

Besides pissing off Ainz he was now trapped in a seemingly unresolvable circumstance; Zesshi would not stop chasing him and he knew that if he were to take a fight with that woman there would be no limit to the amount of collateral damage that could ensue. All three of them boasted immense physical strength, one wrong move and entire sections of the Castle could be blown away, bringing a most abrupt end to the necromancer's plot. There was no telling just what would happen to him should that be the case, dying might be the least of his worries.

Not wanting to literally dig his own grave, he looked for an opportunity to escape...Unsurprisingly it was rather difficult for a seven foot mass of shiny red armor to go stomping down a hall and simply vanish, instead he'd only put himself in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Zesshi was gaining on him, and in the background Shalltear was chasing after them both. Outside of context it was probably hilarious to see the giant being chased by a woman with a scythe who in turn was being chased by a girl in a dress.

"Come back, I need a test of your strength before I decide whether or not we should have children."

"You're a messed up girl, you know that!?"

He looked over his shoulder, past his assailant and towards the vampire further behind, pleading for assistance. Zesshi was faster than him but Shalltear should have been even faster than her, he'd hoped that would mean she could save him. He would learn not to get his hopes up.

For Shalltear the issue was just as detrimental for her as it was for him, sticking her own neck out to help him get away meant shouldering the burden of cleaning up after him as well, not to mention how Ainz might react considering she'd volunteered to look after him in the first place. For the purposes of damage control she could most definitely think of a few ways to get him out of this situation but it was risky. Just getting away wasn't enough, by now several people had spotted them running around, it was too late to try quietly slipping away with witnesses to attest to their actions.

It wasn't as if they'd get the luxury anyway, expecting Zesshi to participate in this little game for too long was yet another misstep although they could hardly be blamed for it, no one would expect her to simply lose her patience and go haywire but that's exactly what she planned to do now. If she couldn't catch him by normal means then she would get more forceful, consequences be damned.

She activated a skill and leapt into the air, her scythe taking on a golden hue.

And then she destroyed everything in front of her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Ainz revealed himself to the people of that meeting of politicians, priests, royalty and adventurers he expected nothing less than widespread fear and confusion. For the most part his guess was accurate, as he spoke he could see most others trembling in his wake, almost pleading for their lives before he'd even taken a step forward, some even fainting.

This reaction was to be expected of course and he was fairly certain that his allies behind him were probably experiencing the same feelings, everyone was filled with the exact response he was hoping for, everyone but the cardinals. The six representatives of the Theocratic government while seemingly tense showed no other signs of fear or hostility, rather they stood before him confidently as if they weren't at all surprised to see him.

Almost as if they were expecting it.

For a minute he began to worry, had he not been careful enough with revealing himself before? Originally he'd planned to keep Momon as a separate persona entirely but due to the shenanigans caused by the second player in his companionship he'd had no choice but to go and reveal himself multiple times now, yet another setback in his plans.

"...If it is as we thought then now that makes both wind and death who have returned…"

"Wind and death?"

Ainz leaned forward a bit, missing out on any information here was not a mistake he intended to make. In response another one of them spoke up, a woman this time.

"It is nothing of any consequence, Lord Surshana."

"Lord who?"

Before he could even attempt to decipher those words, the cardinals were on their knees in respect, an action that soon followed suite for most others who were still able to stand.

"Wait a moment, I think you've misunderstood something."

He tried to sort out the confusion before it was too late but failed horribly, the rest of the cardinals began to assault him with their thoughts.

"We've only just begun to understand your plans and we hope you will forgive us. The resurrection of our mistress was...Unexpected."

"Indeed, in our haste we sent her away and completely neglected the chance you've given us to start anew, please forgive our insolence Lord Surshana."

"Please allow us to serve you diligently and without fail!"

Those last few sentences forced the Overlord to recoil a bit, the lights in his skull going out and his jaw hanging open comedically to express his shock.

 _Surshana? Serve? Mistress?_

This new information being thrown into the mix caught him off guard, he'd expected fearful yet resigned indulgence from these people, not willing servitude. Really with the warm welcome he'd received in Nazarick one would expect him to be used to this by now, instead he was stumbling to regain his thoughts and once again express himself in a respectable manner.

"...Again, I believe you have misunderstood something here. I do not know this Surshana."

His statement prompted the cardinals to look between each other then back towards him.

"Are you telling us you do not want to return to the Theocracy, sir?"

They were missing the point, their faith in him having turned them from political masterminds into willing puppets ready to be used even if he had no intention of playing along.

In their eyes they'd discovered a false truth to make up for the inconsistency caused by Tanabe, a perfectly deluded fantasy that explained away all of their problems. Surshana had returned, his power over life and death having brought back one of their idols, soon maybe the rest as well. It was the kind of fantasy only fanatics under pressure could think of and well...Ainz seriously looked exactly like him, the skeletal appearance, cloak, staff and aura all matched, it was only natural that they'd cling to this hope after having witnessed the miracle of rebirth before.

In their need to stay in control and dispel any chance of uprising the cardinals foolishly disposed of the suspicious entity that dared proclaim itself as one of their gods, now it appeared as though another one had come to light. They were not surprised to see Ainz, not after what they'd heard about Carne Village, the resurrection of their mistress, the subsequent encounter with someone who could defeat her along with the "powerful vampire" and even a dark hero who'd risen to adamantite in less than a year, really it would be shame if they didn't see the pattern up until now.

In the long history of the Theocracy the arrival of such dangerous and powerful entities had become expected and feared, since the Six Great gods who'd saved humanity were just the first, it didn't seem like much of a stretch for history to repeat itself. At least that's what they thought, after all it wasn't as if the humans of this world knew the actual truth behind the identity of the players.

On the other side of the spectrum the reality of the situation was hitting each member of the Kingdom differently, Renner couldn't have fathomed the possibility of death literally walking in to say hi, Gazef had put together the realization that the mage who'd saved him so long ago and the necromancer in front of him were one and the same and Evileye was slowly but surely falling into emotional turmoil. Frankly if things got anymore hectic there was no telling what direction this conflict could go, but if there was anything Ainz had learned in these past few months it was that every situation could get worse with the right people around and with two of his own subordinates now engaged in combat with the monster that was Zesshi it shouldn't have been surprising that things would indeed get much worse.

The ground trembled, slightly but noticeably there. Ainz refocused on the world in front of him.

The men and women kneeling before him were a problem he couldn't solve with words, the comrades behind him needed to be kept silent and his plans involving the Theocracy could not be left unattended. He took the time to look towards Narberal and give her a reassuring nod before turning back towards the cardinals, the time for negotiation was over.

"Stand."

It was a commanding statement, one that left no room for argument. The change in his tone had shifted from that of a calm understanding to one might expect at their execution, cold and ruthless. Only when they obeyed did he take the time to speak again.

"I've had enough of this farce, your beliefs will not be compromising my reason for coming this far."

There was another slight tremble, this one a bit more violent but for obvious reasons just about everyone completely missed it, even Nabe due to the enthusiasm of seeing her master treat the humans like the worms they were. His voice was the trigger to snapping everyone out of their trance and paying attention to him yet again, making him the center of attention yet again. That raised a new problem.

"Momon...You're an undead…?"

The first of the Kingdom's affiliates to speak since the big reveal was Evileye, no one could be more shocked than the girl in love, especially considering she herself was a vampire and hadn't realized the truth until now. As she stepped forward the ground shook once again, only now it was more than noticeable, a muffled boom accommodating the sudden movement.

Ainz only looked over to her for a second, he couldn't see her face due to her mask but he could tell she wasn't mentally sound at the moment.

"Don't be alarmed, I've no intention of harming any of you because of this."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I have my own reasons for that."

He really wanted to get his business with the Theocracy over with and leave this country as soon as possible, listening to his "comrades" gripes over his deception was something he could deal with later.

"Did you think you would scare us? Is that why you wanted to speak to me in private?"

"You are scared, the rest of your nation would be as well. The talk we had was valuable but nothing to be too worried about, it is best you keep this information private for the safety of-"

"That's not the problem, you idiot!"

Her outburst was followed by the loud crack from her mask hitting the floor. As usual Ainz was completely ignorant to feelings of those around him, of course he did try to be mindful but this was a subject he never had any skill in even when he was alive. That being said, when he noticed her exposed face and the tears in her eyes he couldn't help but feel extremely guilty, out of all the atrocious acts he would likely commit in this world making a girl cry was not one he planned on. It goes without saying that she now had his full attention, regardless of the current situation.

"I was dumb enough to consider your request as something more than it really was, 'nothing to be too worried about'? I feel so stupid, I…"

She was wiping her face now, in the many years she'd been alive she'd never actually held feelings such as this for anyone, it was only natural for her first potential heartbreak to hurt this much. Her little crush turning out to be a skeletal type undead did not exactly hold a very good outlook for a future between them, which was horrible news to receive at a time like this, she couldn't even acknowledge the power of the entity before her due to the pain of the realization.

Ainz on the other hand was completely out of his element, the terrified patrons aside he seriously didn't know how to handle the crying girl in front of him. Should he apologize? Ignore her? Or perhaps embrace one of his more embarrassing thoughts and pat her on the head? Honestly he was stumped, enough so that the next violent quake only served to startle him slightly. It felt as though the entire castle was shaking at this point, was it an attack? He didn't even know, his head was spinning, there was officially too much for him to keep track of.

"Lord Ainz, I believe this place is only becoming more structurally unsound, I suggest we move on immediately."

Nabe spoke up but her words fell on deaf ears, the stress, anger, annoyance, confusion and impatience had built up to nearly intolerable levels, even an undead mastermind would need a moment to think, possibly even consider a vacation of some kind if he had the capacity to enjoy it. Ignoring her warning however came with a price, the booming and shaking did not stop, in fact it only increased in magnitude, enough for others in the room to begin panicking and evacuating the moment they snapped out the trance they'd been in.

"Lord Ainz?"

Nabe made her way towards her king with concern, it was not a regular occurence to suddenly see him become unresponsive. When she looked closely she could see that the red lights that normally burned so brightly in his sockets were barely lit, a truly worrying sight, no pun intended.

"Lord Ainz, we should go, if there is conflict within the castle then it should be dealt with immediately."

Her concern for her master would not be overshadowed by the possibility of a battle below them, in fact this same courageousness was now being shared by the leader of Blue Roses, who suddenly ran forward in an attempt to get a hold of Evileye. She wouldn't get much of a chance to grab her friend though.

Another powerful tremor shook the room, sending most of the inhabitants to the floor, the conflict happening on the lower levels was far beyond what could be considered human, in fact it felt no different than the entire place being subject to an earthquake, or perhaps catapult fire. The force of these tremors broke glass and cracked walls, even the floor they were standing on. As knights continued to get a hold of and escort their leaders out, one could also spot Gazef forcibly pulling the princess from the room and even Gagaran helping to hold a pillar in place to prevent it from falling. It was as if the world itself was being torn apart and the castle was being shattered by the disaster.

"Lord Ainz, please. There's little time for this."

Nabe began to tug on her master's robes, her concern finally outweighing the thought of disrespecting the supreme one, if they stayed much longer there was no telling how well this room let alone the surrounding area would hold together, at this point it was more of a when than an if. The next tremor shattered her resolve, as well as the floor.

The damage had escalated enough that the floor caved in on itself, pulling a handful of people down into the abyss below, Evileye included. That moment alone was one that seemed to pass in slow motion, undead or not Ainz felt a responsibility for all he'd said. Reason had no place in his mind when it came to his next thought; Save her.

Nabe's attempts to sway her master resulted in nothing but the falling vampire was more than enough to pull him from his stupor and return him to reality, and as a gut reaction he cast fly and plunged into the pit after her, an action that stunned the maid.

Her master had willingly thrown himself into whatever dangers awaited below without uttering a single word, it was unlike anything she would have ever expected to see.

Now there was no choice in the matter, the die had been cast and she was left in the wake of the ensuing chaos. With only a moment's hesitation her mind was made up. Narberal revealed her true self, her maid attire taking the place of the shabby adventurers equipment she'd only just barely gotten used to.

Then she jumped in after him.

Who doesn't love a good dose of over the top drama?


	25. Darkness

Didn't want to make another one until I got done with season 3, sorry!

Please Enjoy

The main difference between the New World and Yggdrasil was the sheer scale of power that the players of the latter could exhibit. Here a man could crush a boulder with his bare hands and be labeled a hero, in the game a man could bring down entire mountains with a single spell and call it trivial, this was the dilemma that kept Ainz and Tanabe from exerting too much of their strength at any given moment, the threat of destruction.

This world was still young and as such the number of truly powerful beings was limited, a warrior as heavily invested in PvP combat like Tanabe could easily fell a thousand men with a single swing and a necromancer like Ainz could bring ruin to the entire nation and raise them all for his armies, but what would they have to gain from the slaughter? Despite the changes to their minds and bodies from this forced existence they still had a certain level of humanity that prevented either of them from haphazardly showcasing their might carelessly, the humanity that Zesshi Zetsumei was clearly lacking.

With a single swipe she managed to tear down walls and upend the flooring, a frightening display of power that would have most humans cowering in fear, or in this case cut off any escape routes. A few more and she was shaking the very foundation that her home was built upon, there was no telling how much more she was destroying than what was readily visible.

"Finally done running, are you?"

Tanabe was stunned, too stunned to even process what she'd said. The damage Zesshi had done to her own home far exceeded his expectations, he knew that there may have been a few "accidents" in his interactions with this woman but this was way overkill for a couple zoning attacks only meant to keep him from escaping. She not only managed to wreck the hallway they'd been speeding through before but also managed to knock down support structures, blow away entire rooms and even cleave the floor apart, leaving a gaping maw of an opening into the floors below.

"What hell is wrong with you…? Are you trying to tear the whole place down on top of us?"

It was the only thing he could muster the concentration to say, damage to the palace aside he could only imagine the number of casualties or even worse...The disruption to the meeting going on not too far away, it was only a matter of time before that ticking time bomb went off, then being buried alive in the rubble would be the least of his worries.

This was a problem, far more than he'd initially thought he'd be dealing with. If this was what he could expect from nothing more than a few warning swings then he most certainly couldn't allow their fight to escalate into a full on conflict. Someone willing to destroy their own home without any hesitation was a danger to be avoided at all costs, a lesson he was learning far too late. His opportunity to turn this field trip into a fun little adventure had slipped away, now came the frustration that would come with cleaning up his own mess.

"Shalltear…"

"What?"

His heart skipped a beat and he nearly jumped away yet again from the shock. He'd said her name hoping that she would somehow hear him and make an appearance but he hadn't noticed that she was already standing next to him, a realization that made the tiny vampire cross her arms in disapproval.

"Heart attack aside...I realize that it was a mistake to run away rather than take care of her before she became a problem."

"A little late for that now, don't you think? Lord Ainz will be livid."

He definitely didn't need to be reminded of that.

"...I'll worry about the consequences later, for now I want you to go find someone for me. Let's just say this woman isn't the only one around here boasting this kind of power, luckily I don't think he's anywhere near as destructively inclined so it shouldn't be too hard to subdue him."

For a moment Shalltear considered his words but didn't see any urgency in them.

"Why don't you just end this quickly and go for him yourself? I don't see why you expect me to leave you alone with that thing."

"Because this is a nifty opportunity for me to clean this up without too much of a hassle."

"Nifty opportunity? the place is in ruins because you wanted a bathroom break."

"Hey, shut up for a second. I don't feel like dealing with the attitude, just listen before I throw you out with or without your consent."

Naturally this statement came as a surprise for Shalltear, the two of them never had a decent conversation with one another in the past but never once would she have expected him to talk to her that way. The decisions he'd made so far were always rash and questionable at best so it only made sense that she'd disagree with a choice he made on the fly, Tanabe however did not have the patience to deal with it. A point that he would make very soon, one that would make his companion regret questioning him again.

Within seconds he was cloaked in a dark aura, it had neither the same effects nor the same coloration as the Aura of Despair that Ainz used so liberally but it worked well enough, well enough to not only end the argument but also completely shut down any opinion the true vampire might have had by reminding her of what he was.

He wasn't a guardian like her or Albedo, he was much worse. Much worse than what your average level one hundred player would be due to the ring that made most world items look like toys, a fact that remained constant no matter how much he and Ainz may differ.

In this situation making an enemy of him for the sake of proving a point was the worst idea possible regardless of whether or not he could stand up to the Necromancer and his subordinates, he'd already proved he wasn't above underhanded tactics when he wounded her before, there was no telling how bad things might get if that damned ring was factored in. Having to take that fight at all would be a worse case scenario for both sides, period. Understanding this, the true vampire fell silent, allowing Tanabe to resume his thought uninterrupted.

"Alright then, now we need to find this guy who goes by title 'Captain of The Black Scripture', you probably don't remember him but I got to spend a lot of time around the guy before I got my body back. Him and his posse are probably holed up around here somewhere, you find him and he makes a convincing scapegoat for what ended up happening here today."

A moment of silence passed after he made his statement, a moment that only came to an end after the vampire moved away.

Honestly it wasn't that bad a plan, capturing Zesshi alive would be foolish to attempt given her nature but if he could at least get his hands on the one other godkin he knew about then it wouldn't be hard to pin the blame on him. Shalltear had been a witness to Zesshi's antics, it would be easy to convince everyone else that they'd probably just walked into a trap and that things got out of hand while they defended themselves.

Of course he did feel a little guilty about probably having wounded his companion's ego but he would need to sort that out later later, with Shalltear off and out of the way he could focus on the other problem in the room.

"Finally."

After finally being alone with her target yet again Zesshi decided to speak up. With how patient she'd been it was almost possible to forget that the source of all the destruction around them was still standing in the room, though it made little difference now.

"I guess I should say sorry for the wait, but it would make more sense to apologize for what comes after that."

"Oh, a threat? Now I'm actually excited."

"You know I've never been good with women, I'll just have to try not to hurt you too much."

Taking a fight head on was the one thing he wanted to avoid but now there was no choice, Zesshi was far too dangerous to simply be ignored. Finally ready for combat, he stood tall, his imposing figure being enough to dwarf even that of Momon's and making him seem more like Cocytus than what any man would be. This of course prompted the exact kind of reaction one would expect from his opponent.

"Our duel begins…"

Words never really had much place in a duel and for a battle maniac like Zesshi it was almost too good an opportunity for her not to accept the anticipation that came with finding her fated one, the one to end her boredom and give her the purpose she craved for.

When she rushed in ready to cleave him in two she felt an exhilaration unlike any she felt before. She was sure that he would give her a fight like none other, this was the opportunity she'd been waiting for.

The scythe made contact. Then her vision faded.

Zesshi Zetsumei would have a hard time remembering anything but the darkness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Having the floor crumble out from under, sending her plummeting downwards into the darkness of a castle in the middle of enemy territory wound up being the least of Evileye's worries today, not something most people could honestly say. As she fell amongst the rubble she collided with several pieces of debris, making it no surprise that she'd lost consciousness on the way down, no the real shock came not too long afterwards. As she regained her senses she was met with a number of odd things.

There was a loud rumbling that seemed distant, a foul smell in the air like rotten eggs and a dull pain that seemed to permeate her very being. She may have been more resilient than your average person due to her level and vampirism but she was still a mage, being buried under a ton of rubble would be hard to get out of in her condition without expending unnecessary amounts of mana. Luckily for her she had someone to rescue her from her plight and when she finally opened her eyes there were only two things awaiting her: Red lights like pinpricks, flickering in the dark.

She was face to face with her savior, the supreme one himself holding her as if she were a child. Needless to say it was a moment of utter shock and internal screaming.

"Are you hurt?"

His first concern was justified but he failed to notice what he was doing to her mentally, needing almost a full minute of staring at her quietly before he realized how embarrassing the situation was. He could only be glad that his own dumbfoundedness couldn't be expressed on his skeletal visage and with slight hesitation, he set her down, keeping his hands on her shoulders in the event that she couldn't stand. She was quite small, even smaller than Shalltear, enough so that he needed to kneel just to keep hold of her.

This was the first time he was able to get a really good look at her, she was somewhat childlike, reminiscent of Aura or Entoma albeit a bit more mature sounding. Her attire looked like that of a lower level rogue's, a huge contradiction to her role as an earth mage and likely nowhere near legend tier. If he had to guess she was probably between levels thirty and fifty, putting her firmly in the realm of power of one of the Pleiades, assuming they weren't counting equipment quality.

In a way it was odd to encounter someone like this outside of Nazarick, on the other hand he couldn't help but feel a distant attachment to her, the same he would have for any of his servants. Of course he soon realized how odd the thought was and couldn't help but hang onto it for a bit, long enough that silence ensued between the two before being broken by the girl in question.

"You didn't let me fall…"

Then came the awkward bit, having to explain his actions after the emotionally conflicting conversation up above. The months he'd spent here had already warped his sensibilities, almost to the point of feeling nothing but a subtle sense of obligation for those he ruled over. Tossing himself into a pit without warning for someone outside of his jurisdiction would be hard for even Albedo to justify.

For the most part he thought out most decisions as well as he could but this time he'd allowed himself to become impulsive, something he had not prepared to deal with. In the end he didn't reply, there was no excuse, only the conviction he'd had when he dived in after her. With no answer to give her he instead looked her over forcefully, which only made the vampire even more nervous.

Eventually his gaze landed upon her arm which was noticeably darkened, likely the result of it being crushed during her fall. With a touch, he erased it like it was nothing, leaving his quarry wide eyed and with even more questions than before.

"We need to focus on the objective at hand, I will offer an explanation later."

He spoke as calmly as he could, hoping to get his intentions across without frightening her. He could tell with just a glance that the girl was at her wits end already, putting too much pressure on her wouldn't end well.

Thus he began looking for an escape route. The castle may have taken severe damage in a place somewhere above them but he would be hard pressed to believe the whole structure was coming down, if anything it seemed more like specific supporting structures had been heavily damaged, causing the area below them to cave in. If that were the case then the exterior should still be in check, meaning that anyone who hadn't fallen was probably safe aftergetting enough distance from the initial area.

For a moment he put his finger to his chin to contemplate the circumstances that could have brought about such an event, killing him and his party would make sense but presumably the country's leaders were also present which would suggest either decoys or a coup of some kind. It would be important to know whether or not this incident was intentional but with no evidence to his assumptions to point him in the right direction he decided to leave the thought alone for now and focus on his next move.

The first place he looked was up towards the opening of the chasm, the most obvious of direction he could go, nothing could stop him from casting Fly and going straight back up the way he came, but of course that would leave him with the task of forcing a way out amongst the ruined interior above rather than looking for an alternate path in this corridor.

 _Wait, a corridor?_

Taking a second to actually observe his surroundings he revealed that he was indeed within a massive hallway, one that seemed achingly familiar to that of a dungeon's. Of course a dungeon under a castle shouldn't have been too surprising but this was a little too well done for any average walkway, the floors and walls were ornate and clean as if they were still meticulously scrubbed down and looked after. Very suspicious…

Every gamer instinct he had left urged him to explore, hours spent dungeon crawling and raid clearing left him feeling right at home in a place like this. But was that the right choice to make? He'd acted on impulse hardly a few minutes ago and it got him stuck down here to begin with, was it really smart to go exploring like a lost child? It probably wasn't but now he couldn't fault Tanabe for splitting off the way he had on a whim.

Returning to the interior of the building was a safe bet but letting his discovery go unchecked was quite a risk should something valuable lay dormant, now he was faced with the task of either getting his companion to safety or prioritizing his interests. If only he hadn't been playing hero this decision would be so much easier.

"Evileye, this hall seems suspicious."

Generic dialogue, the bane of any good storytelling game's conversational segments but he needed her input to help make up his mind, her wellbeing was the reason he dove in after all. Unfortunately relying on Evileye with her current state of mind was a liability at best.

"I...I suppose. It seems like a secret passageway…"

More generic dialogue.

"Yes, I thought the same thing. I have a sneaking suspicion that this could lead to a secret our would-be allies are containing."

"A treasure of some kind perhaps…"

The two of them were hopeless. He knew he wanted to explore and she knew that he knew that he wanted to explore but both were unable to make the suggestion themselves, a situation Ainz would find comparable to some of the more embarrassing interactions he'd had with females in his past life and he could blame no one but himself. Evileye was likely still reeling from the fact that Momon was really a big scary skeleton with the power to destroy the world, with the absurdity of a reveal like that she probably didn't have the processing power to handle anything else.

"Then it is best we take time to examine the place to be sure."

"Oh, alright…"

Her reluctant agreement didn't help his conscious at all but there was no time to waste, he lead the way without hesitation, eager to find whatever lurked in the darkness whether it be an artifact or a raid boss while his companion was stuck with a deep uncertainty. It was no surprise that even slightest provocation could have them both anxious and ready to fight, so when a door gave way in the darkness, their uninvited guest had the most hostile of magic pointed at them like a blade against their throats.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, there was a matter I thought would require your immediate attention, Lord Ainz."

Very few people could keep a calm expression in a situation like this...Even fewer would have the audacity to do anything but raise their hands in surrender. But among those few stood a woman with zero hesitation and zero reason to fear dying at the hands of her ruler.

"Narberal...I shouldn't be surprised that you followed us down here but.."

"I am sorry to interrupt your wooing of our accomplice but I feel this is urgent."

"My what?"

Light hearted comedy was one way to diffuse a situation...Or possibly make it much worse. If only Narberal was capable of having a sense of humour. She retreated into the darkness, completely ignoring the concerning yet cute noises that poor Keeno was making.

It's been awhile...But here's to the new year.


	26. Fallen Down

Shalltear's dubbed voice makes me uncomfortable

Please Enjoy

"To think she'd go this far right away, I suppose we were right to be prepared for the worst."

The Captain of The Black Scripture found himself staring into the abyss created by Zesshi's unrestrained attacks, the very same one that forced the sudden evacuation of the meeting that should have solidified their victory in the pseudo-war that had begun, this interruption however would put them at a setback. The shady plan of sending almost all of the Kingdom's valuable people into foreign territory had already met expectations as far as the cardinals were concerned. As they'd come to expect: a large number of questionably powerful entities had suddenly popped into existence and began making waves all across the continent with the stories of their feats, an all too familiar story by this point.

Obviously you would hear stories about heroes and monsters from just about anywhere these days, all you'd need to do was sit at your local pub and listen to the people talk, rumors such as this however were often ignored as they often held no merit beyond pointing out men like Gazef who was little more than a pain in the neck. Had the resurgence of the "Wind Goddess" not prompted them to take a gamble with their resources they might have missed this golden opportunity altogether, although they could hardly be blamed for it, a young girl running up and claiming to be their long dead goddess was an almost laughable story, in fact it took quite a bit of patience not to simply imprison her right then and there.

Once the captain got a grasp of her physical abilities it had become painfully clear that she was at best a pale imitation of anyone they could see as truly important, but it would be a waste to simply ignore her, wouldn't it? And so they sent her to the Kingdom where they knew a real subject of interest could be found. The disappearance of the Sunlight Scripture had clued them in on a far greater threat long before she arrived.

The first thing to tip them off was a new mysterious sorcerer who rescued Gazef and the village he defended, soon after a powerful vampire capable of taking on the black scripture alone required the use of one of their sacred artifacts just to be stopped. As if those two weren't concerning enough a warrior who seemed to defeat the goddess in a single blow was spotted along with what seemed to be an elder lich. Just the knowledge of their existence was enough to keep one up for days on end, mostly due to the fact that unlike the players of the past Ainz was a lot more strategic in the moves he made, he didn't simply adhere to the fantasy and go around toting his power for fun. (Except for when he plays the role of Momon but that's not so bad is it?)

By now the necromancer had gone through the trouble of revealing himself to be both the dark hero and the sorcerer in question but that didn't make things any simpler, a single undead with the ability he displayed would be more than enough reason for the Theocracy to get overly involved...The foundation of their society was forged on the corpses of countless demihumans and heteromorphs after all.

Now they knew he wasn't alone.

If there were any more powerful beings of that magnitude outside of the three they already knew of running around then it would be the Eight Greed Lords all over again, except this time humans could be the ones who were hunted into extinction. The chances of these new arrivals being enemies of humanity was too high, especially since a skeleton, a dragonkin and a vampire all classified as inhuman in some way. Should they set their sights on destruction, humanity wouldn't stand a chance.

Or at least that was the worst case scenario, as luck would have it Ainz didn't seem to have an unnatural disdain and need to murder the living like most intelligent undead. Even if he did he did not act on it without reason.

This sequence of events eventually led the Theocracy to coerce the Golden Princess into headhunting the potential targets right into their territory, an act she happily committed at the expense of her nation and people, all for one boy.

As for what plan the cardinal's might have had aside from the embarrassing act of submission they attempted to get away with earlier, the truth was still a mystery. It was obvious that they didn't invite them over just for simple negotiations and they seemed to expect Ainz making his grand appearance before them, having passed him off as a possible reincarnation of their Lord of Death Surshana, but that went up in flames almost immediately. So what could they have possibly planned? They knew that a misstep could lead to them all dying right? Those were questions that remained yet unanswered.

Coming out of his thoughts, the poor Captain couldn't help but feel exhausted just considering it all.

"Somehow my job seems to only get more difficult, I feel as though the Thirteen Heroes themselves would have trouble dealing with a dilemma such as this."

He let out a sigh, he was already stressed enough as is, now he would have much more work to do while putting faith in his superiors. Honestly he enjoyed looking for a bride much more than getting involved with events such as this, he was still far too young to care for much else.

Then a sudden chill overtook him.

Knowing the mistake he made, he closed his eyes and mentally kicked himself for getting distracted. It was not like him to lose focus at times like these, a testament to the stress he was undergoing, he hadn't sensed the danger until it was too late. After mentally preparing himself he turned and faced his adversary.

In the doorway, peeking inside the room in an almost childish manner was the true vampire he faced not so long ago.

He responded in turn by putting a hand to his hip and speaking casually, as if he'd expected her.

"Considering you're alone, is it correct to assume that my companion is having trouble against yours?"

Nightfall was the official name given to the girl in front of him but he knew far more than your average guild member did already, he knew it was the same vampire he'd faced on that fateful day, the same one who'd killed two of his party members mercilessly. If the rumors within the Kingdom were to be trusted then she was one of two vampires Momon had been hunting in the past and he'd apparently defeated one of them using a legendary magical item, although that story sounded both childish and unbelievable. Given Momon's true persona it was more likely that this vampire had become his subordinate or something similar following the conflict, whether or not this was the same vampire or a relative mattered little, in his eyes they were the same monster either way, leaving the mysterious red warrior as the only wild card in play.

"You are...The Captain of the...Scripture?"

"The Black Scripture, yes."

He kept his cool despite the potential danger he could be in, if it truly were the same vampire then she should have no memory of that night due to the absolute mind control, although if that were the case then he had no idea how she could have escaped the relic's effect nor if she harbored any feelings for vengeance.

"You are the subordinate of Lord Gown, yes? I can't imagine he'd send you to find someone like me without good reason."

There was no immediate response, no he couldn't have possibly expected one. ...There was no room for any irrational decisions, he was not as keen on taking open battles as Zesshi, especially a one on one with a creature he couldn't defeat even in a group.

"The reasons behind why that man sent me are not my place to be concerned with. I was asked to bring you back with me, are you going to comply?"

Her voice was far less imposing than he'd expected, it almost felt as though he had a choice in the matter, had he not known what he was up against he might have offered an excuse to decline. Furthermore her statement was odd.

 _That man?_

It was a strange way to address one's leader, assuming he really was in for a meeting with the necromancer and not some executioner. Again he was left with more questions, though it didn't faze him one bit, this was a situation he would bend to his advantage, as long as nothing went too terribly wrong he'd already won.

"As you wish, lead the way."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Evileye stayed near the doorway Narberal had led them through, a sense of unease having kept her from wanting to enter any further into the room.

What lay before them wasn't exactly the treasure trove or giant monster that they'd expected but a crypt of some kind, one that housed not just a few dead bodies but artifacts that she could only imagine belonged to men and women who rivaled if not surpassed the Thirteen Heroes. Given what she'd seen today already this new discovery was enough to make her feel physically ill, so much of her preconceived perception of the world had been shattered in such a short amount of time.

Ainz on the other hand had become completely immersed in his surroundings, not just because of the potential loot but also having what was essentially the holy grail of lore reveals. Not only did this discovery reinvigorate his hopes of potentially finding any of his friends in this new world but it also gave way to possibilities he hadn't yet considered as he put the puzzle pieces together in his head.

An undead of his power could theoretically exist indefinitely. With Nazarick at his side the chances of him not only uncovering the existence of new players or NPC every century or so but also getting closer and closer to rebuilding his guild were not only possible but an inevitability, eventually he'd either find his friends or make up for his losses by reforging the name of Ainz Ooal Gown into this world's history forever. For the first time outside of a small fit of confusion or rage he felt a genuine hope, a feeling that gave him the inspiration that was normally foreign to an undead like himself.

"Lord Ainz, are you quite alright?"

Narberal was again feeling concerned for her ruler, she couldn't have expected the reaction she would get. In a moment Ainz had lifted her off the ground and into a hug, the kind of thing that would make Albedo shriek in jealousy.

"Yes Narberal I am quite happy, very happy indeed."

An on the spot burst of emotion over a hopeful future was the last thing she expected when she showed her king this room, so unexpected in fact that her eyes inflated and her face was flushed, the one expression that only the Supreme Overlord of Nazarick could invoke out of the stoic Narberal Gamma. By the time the familiar green glow came into effect and he finally set her down she looked no different than any of the other lovestruck women in Nazarick upon coming into contact with him.

"You have done me- no all of Nazarick a great service Narberal, I will see to it that you are suitably rewarded for your efforts."

"But..I wish only to serve-"

Ainz put up his hand, signaling that he wouldn't let any such notions through, in the end he was adamant on rewarding diligent work.

"We'll continue the discussion later, as for now I'm curious as to what you may have discovered here before seeking me out, it's clear that you knew I'd be heading this way."

Regaining her composure and trying not to act out of line, Narberal lead Ainz to the point of interest, the single open coffin among the six present. The symbol on the wall was foreign to them but it didn't take much to decipher, the architecture made it obvious.

"Very interesting…"

This revelation was profound, assuming his thoughts were headed in the right direction he'd just discovered another interesting piece of information.

"We have quite a number of questions for our friend."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Zesshi was losing badly, not due to a lack of physical strength but for a simple lack of situational awareness. To be frank: she was left inexplicably in the dark, literally. Everywhere she looked there was nothing, no matter where she moved nothing changed, there were no walls, no floor and no atmosphere, it was empty as far as she could see.

As if a loss of senses wasn't bad enough she was left without an effective method of attack. The crimson warrior before her only became visible when he attacked and while it wasn't so difficult to respond, she found herself unable to do much of anything to him. The few attacks she landed didn't even make him flinch, only slowly retreat into the darkness he'd emerged from.

An armored hand came from the void, she diced it multiple times before it even got to her, yet he was unaffected. A simple counterattack was enough to halt his movements and make him retreat but as far as Zesshi could tell she wasn't doing even a single point of damage to him.

 _Exhilarating._

That was the only thought to cross her mind, whatever he was doing was completely foreign to her, it was an encounter unlike anything she'd ever experienced before and it gave her the thrill she'd been hoping for. But like most things, she grew weary of them all too quickly.

With her scythe in hand she plunged forward into the unknown, there was clearly no hope in a defensive battle. As she sped forward she could see the permeations in the darkness, a large figure that couldn't have been mistaken for anything else. With deft movements she managed to land a direct attack.

For a moment all was silent, and then her target faded from existence.

Confusion was followed only by a sense of alertness, she knew very well that she'd not done nearly enough to win the battle, she'd be lucky to even faze him with an attack like that. Focusing for a moment she could feel his presence yet again behind her.

"Come on, I feel as though you aren't taking this seriously…"

This display was impressive but slow paced, she wanted to see more, experience more of what he could offer, this hide and seek game hadn't remained very interesting for too long. Luckily for her, her quarry seemed to be just as quick on the uptake as she was. After rushing in for a second time she quickly realized her mistake of attacking so recklessly.

There were two of him.

By the time she attempted to recover from attacking one she was being flung by another. This game would go on for quite a while, that was until she realized the reality of her situation, reality that was hard to comprehend.

In reality she'd gone nowhere and had done nothing to her opponent.

Standing quietly in front of her, Tanabe gleefully took in the results of his experiment. Zesshi had been subdued without him having to seriously battle her and all it took was one successful roll of the dice.

"Troublesome woman handled for the moment, now there's just the matter of getting our story in place with you."

He turned his head to look at the captain who'd been waiting in what could only be described as a feeling of bewilderment. You could send the entire nation after that woman and she would slaughter everyone without hesitation...And yet she'd been halted, not by the sheer power of her adversary but by her own recklessness in walking into an unknown spell. He didn't know whether to feel ashamed or just flat out disappointed.

"I did not think it was possible to calm her so easily."

"Calm? Don't mistake inactivity for passiveness, this woman is anything but that."

He took in the glares from the godkin and vampire before him for a moment, knowing that an explanation was required.

"Right...How do I explain this...Ever heard of shadow boxing?"

No response.

"Of course not...How about saying this is like a form of illusion magic, that make more sense?"

Still no response.

"Basically I trapped her in...I guess you could call it a nightmare."

The gazes were unflinching, he almost felt as though he were on trial for a crime.

"Essentially she's fighting a never-ending battle in her head while her body stays out here."

"That sounds like hypnosis."

"Well when you put it that way I feel like it's just a cheap parlor trick."

Tanabe was quick to turn his back after that statement, he himself had a hard time explaining his own technique. While it had proven to be quite effective, the results were far more impressive than he would have expected.

Back in Yggdrasil using the _Shroud of Darkness_ was little more than a diversionary tactic for annoying enemy archetypes, not meant to be used in practical PvP combat. Being a low level warrior at the time of acquiring the spell he often had trouble dealing with assassins, flying enemies, poisonous creatures and anything similar, as a result he would often rely on this spell to give himself some breathing room in a pinch.

For most creatures it effectively shut down their ability to retaliate, often leaving them open for attack, against high level players it was little more than a debuff to blind them and hinder their movement, nothing too special or out of the ordinary, you could mimic the effects easily with a smoke bomb. This reaction however was unheard of.

Zesshi hadn't just slowed down or gone into a state of confusion, she'd stopped moving altogether, her eyes still wide open and scythe outstretched as if she were frozen in time, the only hint towards her current state was the dark cloud circling the top of her head, an admittedly silly looking sign. This level of effectiveness was far beyond his expectations, in fact it was almost a bit disappointing that such a weak spell could have been this powerful.

"Anyway, I'm surprised someone of this level would even succumb to such a thing, let alone try to take me in a head on fight. Then again Ainz seemed to have the same reaction when he was able to kill others easily with Grasp Heart."

The truth of the matter was simple, he'd caught her in a trap that posed an unfamiliar effect and she wasn't equipped to handle it. Sure the effects were temporary and it likely wouldn't work on her again in the future but it proved an important hypothesis.

In this world every attack, spell, skill, item or otherwise was overwhelmingly powerful in the right hands, a point Ainz should have made abundantly clear when he saved Gazef with a "useless" cash shop item back in Carne Village. Zesshi had enough power to challenge him directly and even she had succumbed to a spell that shouldn't have done much of anything besides hinder her mobility a bit, all due to proper timing and a lack of information on her part.

Back in the game the higher you climbed in levels the more drastic the differences became, a level ninety nine stood little chance against someone at one hundred in a straightforward confrontation, even less so if their opponent was equipped with decent gear. The woman before him who was essentially naked in terms of equipment had nothing to rely on but her weapon and her own stats, the result being a simple spell having a far greater impact than it should have normally.

 _If something this basic can stop a foe like this with ease there's no telling how much damage that skeleton could do with a spell above the seventh tier._

Worrying about hypothetical outcomes wasn't his style but that terrifying thought was hard to suddenly ignore. If either of them wanted to they could probably take on the entire world alone like one big raid.

In a moment he found himself looking at Shalltear. She was another level one hundred, as were all the other floor guardians. Excluding their equipment, it was safe to assume each and every one of them stood in a similar realm of power as Ainz and himself.

Just considering the possibilities made him shiver, no wonder all the players who'd come before them enjoyed this sandbox so much.

"Yeah...That's exactly why he doesn't want us going around picking fights."

Ignoring the questioning stare from his accomplice he looked back to the man she'd brought.

"So...Captain of the Black Scripture, that's a convincing title but what should we call you?"

"Captain is fine."

"Are you really going to make things awkward like that?"

The three sat in silence for a short while.

"Fine, keep your secrets."

Tanabe did his best to keep from saying anything unnecessary, it was hard to believe that a Captain of any kind couldn't even be bothered to at least come up with an alias of some kind.

"Anyway your friend here…"

"Zesshi Zetsumei."

"Yes...Zesty Zucchini. It seems that due to her negligence she's essentially been rendered incapacitated, which I'm assuming will last until she takes some damage. With her out of the way I would assume your side would be in quite a bit of trouble, right?"

"She is indeed one of our more powerful combatants."

"When you say it like that, it sounds like you have more like her sitting around."

His gaze hardened, he already knew of the dragon lord waiting somewhere within the castle walls but he'd yet to learn of any other possible warriors who could be put on par with them let alone any additional godkin that could eagerly come about. The theocracy was a truly dangerous place.

"I can neither confirm nor deny your accusation, but given your aversion to combat I find it hard to believe it truly matters, it seems you likely have no intention of truly harming anyone, isn't that right?"

Their bluff was called, the Captain already had a grasp on the situation. They were indeed powerful enough to crush just about anyone but Ainz didn't want to rule through power and fear and he was the only one who could make the call to get violent, meaning idle threats no longer held much meaning.

"Whether or not you live is up to the necromancer, my concerns lie with making sure I'm not in the same boat as the rest of you."

"Oh? An unstable alliance?"

"He's got us following him around while pretending to be some sort of edgy hero, you tell me."

He glanced over to see if he'd accidentally upset his companion, the last thing he wanted was for her to try angrily teaching him about respect as Albedo had once tried but she didn't seem even slightly bothered. Her arms were crossed and her eyes closed, her patience was both surprising and concerning and he was sure it was due to his somewhat abrupt behavior when it came to sending her off. Maybe an apology was necessary after all.

"Regardless, you all were dumb enough to give him a free invitation, odds are you'll end up pawns under his thumb...Or dead."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

Slowly he looked back towards the captain in time to see a sly smile come his way. He let out an agitated sigh. It was never a good sign for someone to give you a look like that, it suggested either a sense of confidence or information he had no knowledge of, the kind of feeling you'd often get from Demiurge before he explained your own stupidity to you.

"Let me guess, you knew things would turn out this way and you feel like you have us right in the palm of your hand or something cheesy like that."

"I can neither confirm nor deny that."

Another irritated sigh, the more he got involved the more weight he'd have on his shoulders. The point of grabbing the Captain was to explain away the destruction caused by his confrontation with Zesshi, with both a witness and a culprit available there was little argument Ainz could have to pin the blame on him outside of irresponsibly walking off to begin with.

"Fine then, care to fill me in on why I can't be so sure of my victory just yet?"

"A lack of attention to detail."

The voice whispering in his ear was an even worse jumpscare than any Shalltear could have pulled on him, enough so that he let out a choked, almost girlish scream before an arm wrapped around his throat.

Zesshi breaking out wasn't unexpected, just...Well he had no excuse to give, this must have been how Ainz felt when he let the floor guardians talk him into world domination.

Instinctively he tried to grab and throw her off of him to no avail, the moment he raised his left arm she clamped hers around his, then wrapped her leg around his midsection, pinning his other arm to his side.

"What is wrong with you!? When did you go from duelist to grappler!?"

Part of him wondered whether or not holds such as this were a part of the martial arts techniques he could learn in this world while the other half wondered why the other two were just sitting there watching him as if they were some kind of entertainment.

"Seashell!? Help!? Please!?"

She stood quietly, eyes still closed and arms crossed.

"Are you sleeping or something!?"

Seeing her opportunity Zesshi went for a cheap attack, sinking her teeth into the open spot between the helmet and chest plate, right through the chainmail. To say a move like this pissed him off would be an understatement, being bitten in the neck so savagely would probably get anyone's adrenaline flowing. Suddenly ignoring his previous aversions to take action he slammed the godkin and himself backwards through a wall. And then another wall, and then another. At this point he seemed more like a rampaging beast in his attempts to get Zesshi off than a warrior, thus it shouldn't have been a surprise that he found himself causing a bit more destruction than what was necessary.

"Well, aren't you going to assist him?"

The Captain invoked the aid of Shalltear, who after sometime eventually moved to assist her reckless companion.

"Given the direction they're going it could get a bit more dangerous for you to be slamming through walls."

His advice fell on deaf ears, even now Zesshi continued to taunt her prey.

"You're going to have to try harder than that~"

A taunt came through before another crash was heard, before he knew it Tanabe had come full circle, having knocked down walls and extended the destruction across the hall.

"When I get a hold of you, you are going to regret this severely."

"You mean it?"

There was nothing more infuriating than someone forcing trouble onto him, not when he wanted no part of the action himself. A bit of guilt overcame him as he understood that this was probably exactly how Ainz felt when dealing with him in the past. Realizing his current strategy wasn't working he instead tried combining gravity and his own weight to get her off.

The fortunate part was that this method was effective, being crushed under someone as heavy as he was in that heavy armor got her to loosen her grip...As well as crack the floor beyond repair.

"Well, you happy yet, you like being hurt don't you?"

"Don't kinkshame."

Those words from the vampire caught his attention in the weirdest ways.

"...What?"

"My creator lived by phrases such as that."

"Okay then...Just going to ignore that and be glad I got this woman off of me."

His victory was short lived, as the floor caved in he tried to scramble to his feet, reaching out his hand in hopes that Shalltear would catch him and stop him from plummeting into the abyss.

However he seemed to forget just how small the girl was by comparison, rather than have her save him he wound up grabbing her leg and dragging her down with them. Now the damage initially set in the meeting chambers had spread throughout the entire floor and the ones below.

"Well that resolved itself, perhaps they'll land somewhere near their other companions."

The Captain was smug again, watching Zesshi take out her violent antics on someone that wasn't him was a blessing in itself. Looking into the pit he'd reaffirmed his suspicions, someone that heavy easily broke through the flooring and went all the way down, two problems were handled almost instantly.

"Now then, I'd better check on the Platinum Dragon Lord, all of this noise has no doubt awoken him from his slumber."

He hopped across the hazardous flooring, or at least what was left of it, unraveling secrets and taking down a nation was best left to individuals who specialized in in the subject, this group would do the job nicely.

Another sly grin came to his face, destruction was much easier than reform.

So apparently the Captain is younger than 20? A pretty young age to be going around as a special operative if you ask me, it seems way too easy for him to be swoon by a random beauty.


	27. Collapse

I hope I'm not the only one who likes Entoma's natural voice over the fake mimic

Please Enjoy

An armored hand broke through the rubble, knocking apart the makeshift tomb. The collapsing floors hadn't been very kind to red warrior on the way down, there was more than enough debris to submerge him completely.

"Alright, that could have gone better…"

Tanabe took a moment to mentally berate himself for allowing things to go this far. Zesshi was a problematic person to be sure but unlike his fellow player he could not bring himself to outright kill someone who'd made themselves a nuisance, not when the person in question was almost as naturally powerful in this world as a guardian. Other than being a clear waste of potential there also lied the chance of an unexpected event occuring due to their negligence, and given his record of creating ruinous situations it only made sense to avoid unnecessary conflict if possible. If it were up to him he would have let the necromancer deal with the suicidally reckless types, then again considering Ainz's class his enemies were probably of more use to him dead anyway.

"Speaking of NPC…"

The red warrior took a glance down at the girl he'd been dragging down with him, this time quite literally. His intention had been to protect her from any debris on the way down, an idea that had some merit but was left mostly unrewarded as he wound up landing on and crushing her anyway. It's a good thing she wasn't fragile. Aside from the ruined dress and missing hat her mask was now cracked and broken in several areas, leaving parts of her face exposed.

"I somehow manage to make things worse even when I'm not being indecisive huh…"

Taking a second to clear the shattered pieces and remove what was left of the mask, he was a bit relieved to see no cuts or bruises, though there still lied the possibility of an underlying problem. He looked to his hand and brought it up, the cheat ring taking on a subtle hue. A quick status check would quell any doubt he had.

For the most part she was fine, damage she'd taken if any was already gone, she was just unconscious with perhaps a concussion, the obvious result of catching a seven foot man in metal armor with her face. She might have a bit of a headache but a vampire of her caliber probably wouldn't be bothered by it for longer than a day at most, though her relatively stable condition did little to ease his guilt: Thanks to him they'd wound up several floors below where they started, if he got away with just a scolding it would be a miracle.

Getting up and taking in his surroundings he wasn't at all surprised to see that the hallway was for the most part completely obstructed and his would be escape route almost entirely sealed up, what was left of it only allowing small streaks of light to pour in.

"Large dark hallway...If I didn't know any better I'd say it was worth investigating."

Taking his time to admire the scenery was a waste of time, he already had an idea of just what kind of mess he'd stumbled into, it wasn't his first visit after all. It'd been a little while but this place was all too familiar, it was both his origin point in his smaller body and of his ongoing conflict with…

For a moment he panicked and took a look around, hoping to avoid being bitten again. For once he didn't need to worry, Zesshi was not lying in wait to attack him again, instead she'd succumbed to the same fate as him and his companion.

He could see her hand poking out from another bundle of debris, her scythe not too far away. The first thing he did was confiscate the weapon, no reason to simply leave it for her, not when it was capable of actually harming him. Then came the victim herself: Moving a few large rocks gave him a clear view of her, though he decided to leave a few decently sized pieces of debris just in case she picked an opportune moment to wake up.

Compared to his vampire acquaintance, Tanabe could tell right away that Zesshi had sustained far more damage, the few blood splotches on both the floor and her hair having come to his attention immediately as well as…

"Pointed ears?"

The truth clicked in his head immediately upon seeing them: She had elven blood. It was a rather important piece of trivia to not know about considering the fact that elves were often enslaved in this world, now he wondered just who her parents might have been. It was fundamental information that he was missing out on but he resisted the urge to get too interested in the backstory of the girl who'd been trying to cut him in half.

With a wave of his hand he gave her the same check that he'd given Shalltear, though he wouldn't have minded if she were in far worse condition. As one would expect she was definitely hurt but nowhere near being critically wounded, odds were she'd be fine within a few short hours if he left her as is. More than enough time for him to escape.

 _But then it'll only get more violent the next time I see her…_

The thought hammered into his mind immediately, it very much invalidated the choice of running away. If he left Zesshi lying there it would probably only make her more eager to hunt him down, and then what? She was willing to tear apart her own home just keep him from avoiding her, to what ends would she go to drag him back once she realized he was gone? He shuddered at the thought, to feel genuine fear just at the thought of someone chasing him to the ends of the earth was akin to the kind of feeling you'd get out of a horror game.

Now came the issue of figuring out just which move to make. Leaving her was both easy and low risk but presented the issue of her coming for him yet again, any other option seemed absurd to even consider, this was a rival nation's secret weapon after all: Even if she weren't much of a threat to him in her current state she still held the power to fell nations for fun if she felt like it.

There was no choice, he'd need to relocate her if possible, at least until he could figure out a course of action that wouldn't lead to her hunting him down again. Feeling annoyed he used his ring to open a fully drawn out map of the sublevel he was inhabiting, yet another unfair use of its power.

The corridor he was in was one of many layered passageways beneath the palace, most of which were likely nothing but a labyrinth to throw intruders off. As far as dungeons went this was nothing too intricate that he wouldn't be able to find his way out of with enough time, his first encounter with Zesshi proved that already, though he did wind up in more than a few dead ends.

With an actual guide it was easy to tell not only which paths would lead outside but also where all the convenient little shortcuts were, the only problem was figuring out whether or not those were even options available to him. All of the destruction and conflict up above made it hard to believe that he could just strut outside and pretend everything was alright, Ainz had drawn quite a bit of attention to himself with his little stunt and by extension painted targets on all of their backs.

"So it looks like I have to find that guy before I do anything...That's a pain."

Having to show the skeleton the unconscious vampire was a distasteful proposition but his options were limited, eventually they'd have to meet up again anyway and improvisation clearly wasn't a good idea at this point. Finding their leader would allow him to put the stress on his shoulders instead if only for the time being. With a sigh he initiated the search.

A quick detection spell was all that he needed to locate the magic caster, nothing any stronger than your average clairvoyance spell. Tanabe was not skilled with those sorts of spells but he figured even a basic one should have done the trick, he only needed a general understanding of where Ainz was and well...Someone with that level of power could have been detected from a mile away with even the lowest forms of magic, after all the guy was practically pulsing with mana. If his guess was right, it shouldn't be too hard to distinguish someone with that powerful a signature from everyone else.

He wound up being right in more ways than one.

The first and most pressing issue was Ainz's location, not above him somewhere like he'd hoped but on nearly the same level, in fact when it came to relative position he was basically right around the corner.

Right in the same spot he knew best down here.

The initial shock from this discovery made him feel physically ill, even if he didn't find Ainz, Ainz would soon find him. As if that weren't bad enough he already knew just what kind of questioning he'd be in for should Ainz put two and two together and realize where their tiny friend came from, playing dumb would definitely not let him slip away.

Then came the second big issue, the occurrence of another being outside of Ainz or his own little group, a singular entity present in the labyrinth with them.

The range on the spell was far enough that he could pick up slight traces of others somewhere in the palace but this one was also nearby, like a beacon in the dark, nowhere near as bad as the necromancer but definitely worse than any human.

He tried focusing on it a bit harder. Then a chill went up his spine. It was emitting bloodlust at an intensity he'd never felt before.

As for what that something was, he was hoping to avoid finding out. A person in this world wouldn't be able to produce a feeling like that, even Hamsuke would be able to manage something greater. What he felt wasn't the killing intent of a rational individual or even that of a violent animal, it was a pure concentrated need for bloodshed, as if the act of killing in itself was the purpose of it's existence. The feeling was honed to the point that Tanabe seriously considered whether or not he'd have to be ready to be attacked.

Was it the Platinum Dragon Lord? No it was much too small. Then maybe the Captain? He was a godkin like Zesshi so it wouldn't be a surprise, though Tanabe highly doubted that that smug man would suddenly be sending out this kind of pressure. If it were a creature not associated with the Theocracy then he could assume that it was simply another person from Nazarick but that was being hopeful. Regardless another monster roaming around was definitely something he saw as being none of his business.

Zesshi had not once shown any intent on truly harming him, if anything she was only playing with him, taking advantage of his docile nature in hopes of coercing him into a serious battle. Whoever this was could easily be just as big a threat just on its intentions alone, he couldn't even begin to estimate whether or not they held power that could actually pose a threat but there was no reason to take the chance.

"I definitely know which way I'm not going."

Whatever it was it didn't seem know where he was, as if searching for its target. The Theocracy just kept giving him reasons to consider this as his final visit.

"Time for us to leave."

He turned swiftly and picked up Shalltear in his arms, not even taking the time to decide which way he could hold her without it seeming suggestive. If that thing came snooping around he definitely wouldn't want to be the one having to make the call on whether or not to eliminate it, he'd had enough of that as is with Zesshi.

As the scythe wielder crossed his mind yet again he was reminded of his plight in dealing with her, a thought that'd been interrupted before he could come up with a feasible solution that didn't involve him just leaving her in her bed of rocks.

He took a little while to consider his options, though he couldn't think of any clean way out. As far as his previous gambles were concerned all he'd done was break rules and upset the balance further. His options were simply limited, all he could do was continue to break the world further.

"If I wind up having that succubus trying to beat me to death again, I'm going to be so annoyed."

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"Seriously kid, just relax, I'm sure the princess is fine."

"I'm sorry, but I can't just relax, no condition will change that."

"You sure are a handful, you know that?"

Brain sat back in his seat, knowing that Climb wouldn't have listened to him to begin with. Not too long ago they'd noticed a bit of a commotion outside surrounding the palace, not the best sign for the visitors who were expecting to be ambushed and killed at any time. Not having the privilege of joining the other important figures, Brain opted to stick behind with Climb who was still recovering from his paralysis.

The young warrior was tougher than he looked, as far as actual injuries were concerned he was already recovering just fine, enough so that he neglected asking for any outside healing to be done, though the same couldn't be said for his now clear anxiety. Other familiar faces had already evacuated and made their way outside, yet the princess was nowhere in sight, a fact that surely made Climb want to get up and find her himself if he could.

"If it were an emergency of some kind they'd have let us know by now, besides she's got some seriously powerful people protecting her you know."

Counseling was not his strong suit and it showed, being the kind of man who believed in strength and skill above all else made him useless when it came to reassuring others. Luckily for him, the doorway to the carriage opened and someone else he could rely on joined them.

"Warrior Captain!"

Climb was the first to jump up despite his condition, having Gazef show up was not only his chance to find answers but also get a bit of wisdom from his mentor in this dire situation. Brain on the other hand felt dread rather than enthusiasm, he could already tell something was wrong.

"How is the princess? I've yet to see her come outside from this confining carriage."

An eerie silence followed the young knight's question, the Warrior Captain was looking in their direction but it was a blank stare, almost as if he was looking past them.

"Warrior Captain?"

Gazef had entered and sat down without a word, clearly absorbed in his thoughts, his demeanor giving off a grim aura. It took several moments of anxious silence before either men could say another word to him.

"You going to keep making scary faces? Leaving us in suspense?"

Brain's words seemed to reach him if only a bit, his unwavering gaze finally landing on the two before him. To say it made his two companions nervous would be an understatement.

A few more intense moments passed by before the Warrior Captain finally spoke.

"Climb, you'd stick by the princess' side no matter what wouldn't you?"

It was a pretty concerning question to be asked right away but Climb answered with only the slightest hesitation.

"...Of course I would."

"Even if the entirety of the Kingdom was under threat, you wouldn't think of yourself at all? You're still young, there's a lot more in the world for you to see."

That sparked the familiar determination from his youthful companion immediately.

"I know I'm young...But I made up my mind a long time ago. Nothing can make me turn my back on the Kingdom or the princess."

"Good to hear it…"

Then his gaze turned to his colleague.

"Don't go worrying about me either, I may not be the kind of guy to pledge his loyalties to just anyone but don't think a little disaster would scare me away now."

His answer brought a grin to Gazef's face, knowing that he could depend on the conviction of his allies was reassuring.

"There's no easy way to say this, but I think the Kingdom will be under threat very soon."

"Why!? Did they not think it was enough to have Princess Renner risk her safety by coming here in person!?"

"Settle down, Climb. This issue isn't that straightforward."

He really should have phrased his statement a little better but as things currently stood he himself had a bit of trouble getting his own thoughts in order.

"Do you two remember the man I told you about before? Ainz Ooal Gown?"

"The magic caster who saved your life?"

"The very same...Except…"

He had a hard time explaining the thought that the man who'd saved him before was really an undead, one that seemed able to stand up to the Theocracy no less. There still existed the possibility that what he witnessed was not completely accurate, that same man had given him a charm with effects unlike anything he'd seen before in the past, it was possible that the same effects could be in play now.

If Ainz was truly an undead then for what reason would he approach the Theocracy so directly? The demands he'd made in that room were so out of the blue that he couldn't even begin to fathom what his savior was thinking. Getting the cooperation from two of the continent's major powers to declare a new nation could hardly be considered sane so what was his ultimate goal? To undermine their nation before they could pose a threat to him? Or perhaps he'd finally come seeking retribution for the attack on Carne Village, maybe even something far more sinister of which he had no information.

If he assumed that the Ainz he knew was in fact a lich of immense power then it all but confirmed that he had no real knowledge of who he was dealing with, not even in a theoretical sense. Most undead naturally targeted the living, yet Ainz had gone out of his way to rescue a small village and even save Gazef's life. If he needed leverage over the Kingdom, why had he not made his move then? Why wait so long only to try strong-arming both sides into his plans in such a messy fashion?

On top of that he still didn't know what to make of the dark hero's involvement. Momon and Ainz seemed interchangeable in that moment, but he'd witnessed firsthand just what the sorcerer was capable of, there was no way to prove that the two were one and the same, not when Momon could have just as easily been holding onto the same idol Ainz had used to switch with him in the past. To believe that a sorcerer of his power existed was already too much, now he was expected to believe said sorcerer could simultaneously challenge him for strongest warrior in the land? Those were theories he'd need much more information to go off of before digging too deep.

At the very least he could make the assumption that Momon was in league with Ainz in some way, but whether or not Momon even knew the truth about Ainz and hadn't been strung along was not something he could not even begin to take a guess at. Not to mention the rest of the darkness party or the criminal underworld under their thumb.

"Except?"

Brain pulled him from his thoughts, eager to learn more.

"The man I owe my life to was not only there but he also has plans that I'm sure will cause a huge conflict between the nations."

"It's already pretty bad, are you saying an all out battle is inevitable?"

"Nothing like that, at least not yet. From what I saw it looks like he has plans to form his own nation, but for him to make a move like that with nothing to go on but his own strength...He must have connections I can't even begin to fathom, it's possible that he's been setting up to make a move like this for a long time."

It was unusual to hear Gazef speak in such a way, he sounded almost defeated.

"So are we throwing ourselves into a conflict we've already lost?"

"We lost when we agreed to this expedition."

An uncomfortable silence settled in on them, if the strongest among them could attest to a single magic casters power then there was no telling how much trouble they could be in. Feeling the pressure, Climb spoke up.

"Then...Are you saying we have no choice but to accept defeat?"

"Make no mistake, based on what went down in there I'm relatively sure the Theocracy is just as unlikely to just play along like pawns. The negotiations here may have been less than successful but no one seemed to make the call to do anything concrete just yet."

Even if things seemed to be heading towards a violent end, there was still hope to be held out while they still had a chance. That bit of hope led Brain to let out a loud sigh, exaggerated enough that it caught the other two off guard.

"It's not like you to get so worried about a possibility rather than a certainty, and here you are preaching like one of those scholars who swears the world will come to an end any day now. If we're just going to come full circle like that anyway then you might as well lead off with it rather than let us feel like it's too late to put up a fight."

The statement forced Gazef to process his own behavior up until then. Climb took the chance to chime in.

"I agree wholeheartedly Warrior Captain! If it isn't set in stone yet then we should at least do our best to ensure the Kingdom's position before we assume we're on the back foot!"

Again Gazef felt a bit dumbfounded at his companion's enthusiasm, though it was soon replaced with yet another resigned smirk. He'd let himself go from warrior to pessimist all too easily and with a new fire burning in his eyes he felt ready to take on the worst.

He'd never once wavered in the face of death, he wouldn't start now.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What is this?"

"This is the result of one of the living weapons they have roaming around here off of their leash."

Tanabe had no choice but to go the opposite direction of whatever creature awaited him should he leave that dark corridor, though the alternative wasn't as appealing as he'd hoped.

After traveling far enough he'd noticed a familiar scene of broken ceiling and scattered rubble, a minute later and he was standing before the room that he'd first awoken in not so long ago. It wasn't too bad a plan to wait out the ensuing destruction from Zesshi's antics then play victim, much better than picking fights or go running about stupidly like he'd done before. Unfortunately he'd shown up just in time to catch his fellow player leaving behind a now vacant room, his reaction towards seeing him holding Shalltear not doing much to inspire confidence.

"A person did this to her!?"

It was unusual to hear Ainz raise his voice like that but it was an understandable reaction, Shalltear was the strongest of his guardians after all, the thought of her losing a fight was enough to make even him shake a bit.

"Not exactly…"

His trailing off did little to ease the mood, he only had so much time to try explaining himself.

"See there was a woman walking around that they call a godkin, basically the descendants of players who I guess got here way before us."

"I'm already familiar with the concept."

"Good, then you should know just how powerful these kids can get. If I had to take a guess, she had to be on her way to level ninety in terms of pure power output and that's without any gear."

"A level difference by as much as ten should make her relatively easy to deal with if you took her seriously."

"Maybe, until she swings one good time and knocks out an entire floor."

Ainz froze up for a moment, if an opponent of that level disregarded the environment when attacking they could easily change the landscape in the ensuing battle.

"I see...Then what course of action did you take that lead to this?"

"Initially I tried escaping, obviously her wrecking the place while you held your little meeting was in our worst interest, though she was much faster than me so I didn't get far."

"Then you splitting off wound up being as bad as I thought it'd be."

"Hey don't try pinning the blame on me, I was practically ambushed, you can ask Shalltear for confirmation when she wakes up."

"Assuming you did not fabricate this story and force her to go along with it."

Eyes narrowed at that statement.

"I. Would. Never. Do. That."

Ainz hadn't meant to insult him but the accusation was necessary. He was the cautious type, he explored every avenue if he could before making a decision and calling Tanabe out on possible treachery was a route he knew he needed to take in every conversation with him, wild cards were an extremely dangerous gamble, especially if they got leverage over him.

"You can express your distrust of me as often as you want, I probably deserve it...But never assume that I would stoop low enough to force her to do something that she would not want to do, I'm not some degenerate living the high life and playing with the lives of others. I may not have a raid filled with obedient servants but that doesn't mean I'm a pawn either, keep that in mind before I send you through a wall."

The pressure in the room spiked dramatically, Ainz hadn't once been threatened before by anyone who mattered but having another player do it sure escalated things quickly. The provocation made the two maintain eye contact for quite a while, neither willing to back down from the other, in this moment Tanabe likely held the record for longest living person to oppose Ainz directly.

Had the sounds of someone falling to the floor not snapped them out of their staring contest, things might have gotten worse, though that exact situation caused the tension to break. Ainz looked over at the two women who'd accompanied him to this room and noticed that Evileye collapsed and that Narberal was pretty close to following suite. Ainz alone was capable of emitting a pressure that could make even the guardians kneel, the full weight of two men of that power doing it was too much for any bystanders to handle.

"My apologies, it seems my accusation was uncalled for."

"Damn right it was."

Taking a moment to calm down, Tanabe realized that he too caused a bit of a disturbance, though his was in the form of his acquaintance now being awake and staring up at him. Aside from the shock that probably came from his little standoff his clawed gauntlets were also digging into her arm, it shouldn't have been a surprise that this was more than enough to pull her back to reality. With a bit of hesitation he set her down carefully and took a step back.

"Sorry about that…"

A heated discussion was inevitable, he'd been playing the chill, easy-going type of personality up until now but it was only a matter of time before things got a bit serious for his tastes and he would speak his mind. Slowly taking his eyes off of the true vampire, he attempted to steer the conversation back on topic.

"Anyway subduing her did not pan out the way I wanted to and we ended up plummeting into the basement, the same thing I'm assuming happened to you before you found...This place."

By now the room had been picked clean, priceless artifacts taken and...Even the coffins were gone. Tanabe didn't want to imagine what sort of undead monstrosities could be made with those corpses, nor did he plan to ask.

"Indeed."

For a moment Ainz still seemed preoccupied with the fate of the other two women alongside him, the red pin pricks hovering over them for a long while before slowly moving back towards the front.

"And so what did you do with her?"

"Captured her."

He was examined for a second, the necromancer trying to figure out not only if it was true but also where Tanabe must have been keeping someone he supposedly captured if they weren't physically present.

"How?"

"Unconventional means."

Another impactful silence ensued, there was little room to argue and Tanabe didn't mind digging a deeper pit for himself than he'd already had, threatening Ainz was already just about as bad a sin as you could commit in Nazarick anyway.

"Then what is left is to navigate our way through the situation with this country so I may swiftly move on to the Empire."

"I'm assuming the bird brains and creepy princess weren't super eager to give in to your demands."

"Their cooperation is unnecessary, now that they know what they are dealing with it is only a matter of time before they attempt to turn on us. Rather than force their hands I'd actually prefer them to sit where they are and continue to idly discuss their meaningless plots."

"Demiurge must have had one spicy plan then."

"Indeed, the Theocracy is far more vulnerable than they let on, they won't openly challenge me especially once they realize I have the artifacts they praise so vehemently."

No further explanation was needed on that part, with the discoveries he'd made today Ainz could likely get the cardinal's cooperation rather easily, though he still needed to be careful. Messing with the cardinals and their direct subordinates was one thing but the nation itself was still the pinnacle of humanity. He certainly wouldn't mind putting these precious items back so long as he received a bit of help behind closed doors. Outright seizing control of the nation was impossible but as was getting more than he needed out of them without causing a major collapse.

The Theocracy had become unstable as is in the past few months, luckily the only ones who knew of his little interference were the people present in that room, the cardinals, the princess, gazef and the other adamantite adventurers. With enough care he could make sure it stayed that way, an important step to his future delegations. If he could continue his plans to build the nation under his rule without causing a major fuss then that would be optimal, after all a human nation was not much different from a chicken going to the slaughter: If the head were cut off it would run amok until it finally fell dead and made a mess of the room. There was no reason to rush these things, he'd be as careful and as patient as he needed to be.

"I'll be sure to clean up the mess made here, in the meantime...Narberal I want you to take our acquaintance back to her team."

"Are you quite certain Lord Ainz? I wouldn't question your wisdom but I do feel it is dangerous to let her go with the knowledge she holds."

"There is no reason to worry about such things, I'll handle it once I return to E-Rantel."

"As you wish."

"As for you two…Return to Nazarick."

It took a moment for either Tanabe or Shalltear to comprehend that.

"Uh, you mean the mansion back in the Kingdom?"

"No, you're going to Nazarick."

They were stunned for a moment longer, enough so that Tanabe had to question him yet again just to be sure it wasn't a mistake.

"Shalltear, is it true that a powerful individual figure confronted the two of you and brought about this situation?"

"Yes, Lord Ainz...:"

"Then it's become apparent that you two are no longer going to be able to walk about without being targeted, as well as the fact that you two seem to have a good enough connection to look out for one another."

"Not to be a jerk but I kind of harass and bully her until she attacks me with various items."

"And such antics have now made it impossible for you to remain as the neutral party you seemed to be so inclined to be. That means you now have a choice: Join Nazarick or Flee."

"Uh…"

Tanabe's original plan was to get away from Nazarick and now it was being offered to him for free? It was almost unbelievable.

"Not sure I believe you'll just let me walk away for free."

"Of course it's free, though you will be deemed an enemy of Nazarick and be forced to find your own way as my empire expands, whether or not you can manage to stay out of trouble and survive that without coming into contact with me sounds…"

"Impossible...Yeah, you're pretty slick aren't you."

"So? What will you do?"

Ainz held out his hand, eyes glowing brighter.

"Will you run away? Or will you join Nazarick?"

Everyone in the room was staring at him now, he could just hear the dramatic music that would be playing.

He let out a sigh, despite his best efforts his life was about to get a lot busier.

Re-reading my own chapters over and over and changing things constantly when a new idea hits me is tiring...


	28. Discussion

Big boy incoming

Please Enjoy

A standoff, that was the only way Tanabe could describe his current situation. When Ainz told him he'd have to return to Nazarick in person he'd at least expected the necromancer to accompany him in order to make the confrontation with the floor guardians less awkward, though he now understood that such an event was a luxury he could not count on.

Rather than an organized retreat after their expedition the skeleton instead decided to inform his subordinates of the new arrivals through a message spell before promptly sending him and Shalltear through a Gate straight home, an action done quickly enough that the admin had no time to either object or complain. In just a few short minutes he would be standing before the doorway to the throne room, the worry settling in all too quickly.

He knew that the floor guardians weren't too fond of strangers, even less so in his case given his awkward connection to Shalltear, should he give them any reason to be suspicious they could easily turn on him at a moment's notice. In a worst case scenario he'd be in an all out war with several max level NPC each with their own unique traits and abilities that he didn't know well enough to take on, even if he could somehow force them into a stalemate with Sudden Death he was still trapped in enemy territory and he seriously doubted Shalltear would even attempt to help him, not with her current mood.

In his desperation to figure out a way to avoid having the blame pinned on him for Zesshi's destructive nature he'd practically forced Shalltear to go off and find the Captain of the Black Scripture, an action he soon regret after seeing her reluctant cooperation. He was quick to be angry with Ainz for assuming he'd force others to do his bidding but now he just felt like a hypocrite, as much as he would hate to admit it his own actions made him feel like more of a coward than someone with any real power.

In hopes of remedying the situation a bit he turned to face his companion, looking for the words that would allow him to hopefully get the guilt off of his chest, in the end though it wound up being too awkward for him to approach the topic directly.

"Hey Seashell...I wasn't exactly ready to be thrust into this so quickly, any tips for dealing with your colleagues?"

"No, I would rather avoid talking to any of them right now."

"Oh. Okay then..."

Being shot down so quickly not only made him feel worse but it also reminded him of the fact that he wasn't the only one stuck in a bit of a dead end. At the end of the day Shalltear had practically made an enemy of Nazarick along with him, even if Ainz himself seemed to trust her she would still be forced to live with whatever guilt the others threw her way, especially if it became a matter of arguing with Albedo over seducing their leader. She was in just as much trouble as he was and he could only blame himself for her misfortune. With that thought in mind the guilt became a bit too overwhelming and he decided it best to give her a reason to avoid the same fate as him, any way he could ease her conscious would at least help him feel a little better himself.

"Well I guess that is true...Maybe it's best you go get some rest while I go have this talk in private, I have a feeling there will be no progress if the two of us are standing together being interrogated and I don't feel like getting axed by Albedo again for having an attitude, if it really comes down to it I don't mind waiting in a cell until the leader gets back."

The suggestion was a surprise to the vampire who took a second to look over at him quizzically, she never thought of as him the kind of person to even consider someone else's position. Was he really worried about her? No, it was far more likely that he had another stupid plan to get himself in trouble, a prime reason for her to ignore his offer though she couldn't bring herself to do so, not when he gave her this chance to keep herself uninvolved. Taking his suggestion and leaving him to his own devices could prove to be another annoyance should he wind up making a big mess of the situation, but not nearly as much as being scolded by Aura or Albedo or whoever else felt the need to reprimand her for her past mistakes. She let out a sigh, knowing that her decision could very well come back to bite her.

Without a word Shalltear turned her back to the admin and opened a gate to the second floor, with her gone all that would remain was the anxiety that the red warrior had been holding onto since the very moment he considered the possibility of being made into a pawn for Nazarick. With no one there to possibly help him navigate through the upcoming battle of words he found no other option but to move forward.

Now the admin was stuck in the standoff he'd been dreading: Standing alone before the guardians with no guarantee he could get out unscathed. When it came to dealing with troublesome opponents Zesshi alone was bad enough but now he was trapped between what he could consider to be several Zesshi as well as the Pleiades and even a small battalion of death knights and other various undead. The only solace he had was knowing that the adversaries before him wouldn't make any drastic moves that could upset their master, that would be his win automatically if he could hold it against Ainz, all he had to do was keep calm and avoid the urge to ask Albedo how she planned to have kids with a skeleton.

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South of The Theocracy and within the city of Eryuentiu another disastrous confrontation was being held, one between a hero and a very annoyed dragon.

The city once belonged to the Eight Greed Kings, a group who much like Nazarick sought world conquest albeit through very different means. Rather than try to rise and conquer through a combined effort of political finesse and properly planned interference in the affairs of mankind the Kings instead opted to use their absolute power to hunt down demi-human and heteromorphic races, in some cases to near extinction. Their actions may have been beneficial to humanity in the long run but were still notorious even amidst the most prejudice of fanatics, after all genocide was still genocide no matter the race.

Their reign was cruel and bloody, no one in the young world had the chance to really stand up to them, even the Dragon Lords were almost completely wiped out by their sheer power. After awhile most gave up hope in stopping them, their conquest was a complete success...That is until they started turning on one another, the result being exactly what one would expect. When the dust finally settled it was the Platinum Dragon Lord who took hold of their city in a sort of vendetta to prevent others from getting hold of and misusing the power of the items they'd left behind. Unsurprisingly his job was rather easy, he even had the time to play along with humanity and become a hero himself but that was a story for another day, one such accomplice stood before him now, the news he'd shared with her weighing heavily on her mind.

"And to think we spoke not so long ago about the way the world was changing."

Rigrit spoke to her old friend with a bit of worry in her voice, an emotion that was unfamiliar to her especially when it came to this dragon. In her long life she'd experienced her fair share of catastrophic events but the vastly shifting state of war that afflicted humanity was not one she could have ever expected. Humanity had always been the underdog, they did not get along with one another but together they survived long enough to avoid being annihilated by the much stronger races existing in the world, so why now had things gotten so serious?

Times changed and one country would inevitably be devoured by another or collapse from within, that was simply the way of the world. The biggest countries were no exception to this, in fact while she was pained to admit it she firmly believed the Re-Estize Kingdom probably wouldn't last even another decade, not with all the corruption and strain on resources that only got worse by the day. It was only a matter of time before a conflict would send the foundations crumbling down...At least that's what she believed before the Theocracy got involved. The Theocracy was without question the strongest human nation yet in a few short days they'd accepted numerous proposals set by the Kingdom, news that was a shock to just about every noble, politician and wealthy businessman who'd heard of what transpired.

Why cede anything to the Kingdom? To delay an inevitable conflict? To form an alliance against the Empire? The people and soldiers of either country would rejoice at having a few more weeks of relative peace but in the end they were only fooling themselves by ignoring an obvious problem, the fact that the Theocracy was willing to go to such lengths could only mean that there was an outside factor the rest of them weren't aware of, someone or something was manipulating one or both sides from behind the scenes. Worrisome news, enough so that it brought Rigrit to see her friend now.

When she first arrived she could already tell that something was wrong, the dragon was both good natured and patient with all manner of issues and yet for the first time in ages he actually seemed upset...No not just upset, frustrated. What could cause someone of his stature to feel that way? The answer was one she'd regret learning.

The Dragon Lord had gone out of his way to investigate some of his suspicions regarding the resurgence of more players in the New World, a curiosity sparked by his run in with Shalltear and the monstrous power she showed off while decimating forces from both the Kingdom and Black Scripture alike. His investigation lead him to keep his armor skulking around the Theocracy, after all they were afraid to start a direct conflict with him so they had no choice but to let him keep an eye on the place.

A few weeks worth of time and all he'd found were the questionable godkin who continued to baffle him with their twisted morality, otherwise he'd considered his search to have maybe been a waste of time.

That is until the problem literally wound up on their doorstep.

He didn't get to approach them directly but he didn't need to, his perception far outclassed that of any normal Dragon Lord, he could feel their presence and judge their karma values without being anywhere near them, even tell their state of health without too much trouble and what he saw only managed to give him a chill. To his dismay he found not just one or two but four suspicious figures following the Golden Princess, an influential figure in the human world. Of the four present he could instantly tell the identity of one, the foe he'd faced on that dreadful night...For only a moment he felt confidence but it was soon replaced by dread, she wasn't the strongest of that group, two of them rung out as being just as if not worse than her. Who were her accomplices? More importantly why were they now walking with royalty of another country?

Four people of power that far surpassed humanity, power that could have likely surpassed his own, escorting a girl and her bodyguards into another country under the guise of a mere adventurer group. If this weren't already bad enough news, he could also tell that old friends of Rigrit were also present, namely the group of women known as Blue Roses. He wanted to laugh, all these people had become unknowingly entwined in the plans of a terrifying enemy.

What was their goal? He could assume that they'd not only infiltrated the Kingdom already but were also careful enough not to make their power known to the rest of the country right away, meaning they were either not confident in their own strength or they simply chose to take the scenic route rather than brute forcing their way into power as previous players had before. Just four people was a smaller group than the Greed Kings or the Evil Dieties but they were different than any he'd seen before, even by Player standards. Even now, he did his best to try to make sense of what exactly he'd witnessed.

 _A girl, a mage by the feel of her mana, another one, the vampire. Then the men, two large warriors, the first...No pulse, also hiding an unnaturally large mana signature and the last...A kindred spirit?_

That last bit threw his concentration off completely, now he was stuck with thoughts he didn't want to consider.

The mage had potential, it wouldn't be too hard for her to come off as an average human as long as she didn't go around strutting her power, in fact he himself could easily believe she were human had it been under different circumstances. Humanity seemed to be growing more and more as time passed, it would only be a matter of time before more and more of them began stepping into the realm of magic exhibited by men such as Fluder Paradyne. Platinum saw no urgency in her existence, unfortunately she was the least of his worries.

He'd seen the vampire in action before, in a one on one he wouldn't be helpless but his efforts probably wouldn't amount to much, not without proper preparation and careful planning, a test of strength would only lead to his demise. He could hope to lead her through any manner of traps or potential bombardment from his wild magic, but even then he didn't see his chances of winning without being there in person as plausible. A grimace came to his face at the thought.

Next was the Dark Warrior himself, the supposed leader of the group and one he had the least information on. Platinum could tell right away that his demeanor was fraudulent, he was no simple warrior or anything close, he wasn't even alive. An undead with magic potential he couldn't even begin to gauge and a sinister aura about him was hiding amongst plates of metal and a couple swords, equipment which in itself was also magically composed...How terrifying. If he assumed that the magic caster was at the very least on the same level of the vampire and had already gained some control over the other nation then...The Kingdom was already a lost cause.

And lastly...The "kindred spirit", the one who scared him the most of the four he'd seen. For centuries the Dragon Lord had been using a suit of empty armor to do things in the greater world, controlling it from the safety of his new home and avoiding direct interaction with most people, even his comrades. The suit of red armor that was there on that day contained the soul of something just like him. There was another like himself within that group, perhaps not a Dragon Lord but someone with a similar origin and of considerable power. If it were indeed one of his kin then he would need to find out who immediately and learn all he could of this new group from them, the possibility of a traitor within his own kind only further increasing the stress on his mind.

This was all the information he was able to gather from the little incident before he escaped, a decision made with both haste and regret. Running away hurt his pride immensely but taking a fight against odds like that alone would do nothing but cost him a suit of armor, now he sat within his home, contemplating not only what his next move should be but also whether or not he should try to stop his long time friend from getting any more involved than she already had. Rigrit was old, sure she wasn't at all weak and he could certainly depend on her should the situation spiral out of control but there was no need to put her in harm's way before he'd even figured out the motive of these new rivals.

Players were the most dangerous and volatile creatures the Lord had ever encountered, they could easily make themselves out to be the heroes to save the world or the monsters who would destroy it. A single one could easily erase entire countries without rhyme or reason but a coordinated group of them was nigh unstoppable, it should have been no surprise that he feared what they could be capable of when they schemed international affairs behind closed doors.

"Well if you're just going to stare and ignore my suggestion to ask the other Dragon Lords for help then I might as well move out on my own."

Rigrit threw out the comment to try and drag her scaly friend back to reality but he simply muttered an unintelligible response, he didn't yet tell her that he considered the possibility of one those Lords having been in league with the enemy. In her frustration Rigrit decided on a different course of action.

"I suppose I'll just have to visit the KIngdom then and ask the girls what they've been up to."

That got his head to pop up, she still knew how to make the old lizard panic. It wasn't hard to decipher his thoughts, he was clearly overthinking the situation and becoming needlessly worried while he was at it, though she could hardly blame him. World domination and endless chaos may have sounded like a childish fantasy but it wasn't so hard to believe whenever Players were involved, if she didn't take the initiative from time to time she could easily see her friend driving himself mad with concern. To ease his mind she tried adding on to her previous statement.

"Now now, it's only a precaution. Staying here in fear of the worst wont get us anywhere, I think at the very least I should warn some of the people I care about before it's too late."

"You run the risk of encountering them."

"And what will they do? Harm a retired old woman?"

She could see his gaze harden, knowing very well that that was exactly what he was implying.

"These kinds of people have done more malicious things in the past than you could possibly imagine."

"Good, I like surprises."

The exchange would get them nowhere, the dragon already knew that he could not stop one of the few living acquaintances he had left but he felt the need to at least try. Rigrit was a mischievous risk taker by nature, even if he couldn't stop her directly he thought it best to try offering whatever aid he could.

"If you will go then I'd like to give you something before you depart."

The massive mound of scales shifted slightly, twisting and turning before the item made itself visible: A small silver rod.

"Here, this should prove useful if you find yourself in a predicament."

Rigrit stared at the item skeptically, her own thoughts now having also taken a turn down a dark road. She didn't like the idea of being given something for a disaster that had yet to happen.

"It's not like you to get so worked up over something like this, even less so for you to just hand out relics that belonged to the Eight Greed Kings."

Her words had gone from playful right back to concerned. She now felt as if she were going on a suicide mission rather than to just visit her old home, Platinum's gaze letting her know that he had no intention of letting her leave without at least something to help her in a worst case situation.

"I understand your worry but I'm just heading for a visit, I have no intention of getting involved with anything all that dangerous. Honestly I'd rather you come along in the suit."

Her words were met with more silence, instead of speaking the dragon instead used his tail to block her exit, making his point clear.

"We both know that I cannot do that. Take it."

A commanding tone, no amount of arguing would change his mind and she knew it.

"Fine, I'll accept your sign of good faith for old time's sake...Don't blame me for not using it though."

She snatched the rod from the large scaled hand in front of her and turned her back spitefully, in her own opinion she was getting too old to be this stressed out over visiting some friends.

"Come back safely, Rigrit."

A few final words to send her off, the last thing he would say before descending into the darkness of the room, disappearing altogether and leaving his now distressed friend to her own agenda.

Never before had a trip home felt so guilt inducing.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tanabe walked to the middle of the throne room, doing his best to come off as an intimidating warrior who wouldn't hesitate to show off his power if he needed to. He couldn't hope to scare the guardians with power alone but it certainly gave off the impression he wanted, he only needed to remind them that he wasn't some average visitor to be pitied, as long as they were wary of him he had the upper hand.

A few tense moments of silence passed after he stopped moving, the denizens of Nazarick taking in his presence, comparing him to the likes of their supreme one. Most of them could see no difference between him and Cocytus in terms of strength while the guardians knew not to underestimate him based on appearances, behind that visage could lie the mind of a mastermind. Once they'd had their fill the confrontation would begin and the first to address him would be the Guardian Overseer herself, the one that could be seen as the second in command behind the king himself.

"Welcome to the Great Tomb of Nazarick."

Albedo's voice resounded without another sound to contest it, her words functioning as both a greeting and a warning. When it came to the many tasks she often found herself handling it was often necessary to treat each individual assignment with the utmost care and patience, today however she had no intention of being patient.

As the title Guardian Overseer implied she had a hand in just about everything her colleagues were involved in, though in light of recent events she'd found herself feeling a little less important than she should have been. After the fiasco with Shalltear's rebellion the vampire had the honor of sticking side by side with Ainz, Cocytus had become quite the capable leader with his position over the lizardmen, and the twins had taken over watching the little brat that had been brought to them as a potential ally. Factor in these features with Demiurge's near complete control over every strategic move they made and Albedo was stuck feeling like a glorified housekeeper, only the maids had that part covered too. Being made almost irrelevant left her with frustration that had been eating away at her for quite some time, the admin would receive no lenience.

"Yeah, it's a nice place…"

Tanabe's response was one of caution, he did not want to risk showing any weakness, not while they were still so early on in the conversation. Just hearing his voice for the first time made all the others ready for a battle. So far he didn't seem all that hostile, as far as demeanor went he was able to fool the others into thinking he was even relaxed in this situation, his follow-up statement however would be rash.

"So you all are the guardians...Not a bad lineup, I bet you all are just as powerful as Seashell huh?"

The admin who'd made himself a thorn in the side of their glorious leader, another player and the biggest possible threat to their way of life...Referred to one of the guardians with a silly nickname, even the death knights could feel the hostility that such an action invoked out of the guardians. Had they not been informed of the player's casual attitude and apparent disregard for personal safety beforehand one of them might have shouted something disrespectful right then and there, it was only natural that the conversation would come to a brief halt.

With Ainz out and about Albedo saw herself as the first and only line of defense against the player's antics, thus she would be the only one to respond throughout this meeting. She put on a smile and continued to address him as calmly as she could.

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand, are you perhaps referring to Shalltear?"

"Yep, as you can see she was feeling a bit exhausted and decided to go lie down. As far as the nickname is concerned it's just something I came I came up with for her. Her name sounded like an obvious vampire cliche so I thought it was fun to call her Seashell Bumblebass instead...Or was it Batfodder…? Or maybe BattleToddler?"

In that moment Albedo's face contorted in an almost unnatural way, her brow furrowed and her disapproval readily visible. His words had brought out more frustration than she could have anticipated. It was disgust, disgust at the the thought of a guardian being referred to in such a way by an outsider, disgust at his ridiculous reasoning behind said naming, and disgust at the thought that it could have been anyone one of them who was stuck in that situation instead of Shalltear. It took all she had to continue speaking without losing her composure.

"And she accepts that name?"

"Oh absolutely not, it makes her violently angry."

Her eye twitched, with just a few lines of dialogue the conversation had taken an entirely different route than what was expected. Rather than trying to decipher any hidden intentions that the outsider may have had the succubus instead found herself dumbfounded, trying to take this man seriously was a difficult task all on its own, though she would not be done in so easily. It dawned on her that there was a possibility that the warrior was only talking in such a manner to upset her on purpose, the only explanation that would allow her to continue seeing him as a serious threat and reply.

"Well I hope she's not caused too much trouble for you, after all you have become our honored guest."

The admin put his hands to his hips and tilted his head slightly, an odd pose that suddenly made the others in the room feel a bit uncomfortable. He looked as though he was deciding whether or not he was upset or simply disappointed and he didn't seem to mind keeping them in suspense until he felt the need to speak again.

"Well I'm glad you all don't seem to have expected too much from me, if you consider me a guest then that eases my mind a bit."

Albedo bit her lip, a subtle acknowledgement to the misstep she knew she'd made. The red warrior had come back with more than just permission to lie around as he had in the Kingdom, now the overseer would have to be the one to go on the offensive.

"I do have to ask, did Lord Ainz only have you arrive to await his return? He seemed rushed and didn't give as many details as I'd hoped, even your name is still a mystery to us."

Making her supreme one seem like the kind to gloss over details didn't feel too good but allowing the man in front of her to pretend he was nothing but a "guest" was even worse, not with the crimes he'd committed thus far. Tanabe on the other hand felt more relieved than he had been since he left the Kingdom, Ainz was quick to send them home but he hadn't quite filled them in on everything that had happened, meaning that information was on his side as well as fear.

"That sounds about right to me, the only thing he really asked me to do was have a talk with the rest of you about my residence within the tomb. As far as what he wanted out of me in our upcoming partnership I don't think he wants us to worry about that just yet."

His opposition froze, even their breathing seemed to stop. "Partnership" was the word that he used, not service or even agreement. Partnership implied equal parties working together for a common goal, the key word being equal, this random man who they'd never met was placing himself on equal footing with their supreme one...And he didn't seem even slightly doubtful of his own statement..

Tanabe, knowing what he'd done continued to act as though he'd said nothing unusual, even neglecting to give them a name to call him by. The pride of the guardians and their complete submission before Ainz made them dangerous for anyone who didn't align with their ideals but his plan was to force them to accept his presence regardless of what they thought of him. He wasn't lucky enough to come into the world with a loyal set of followers and while his ring gave him the power to defy the logic of the world he still felt that he was at a complete disadvantage if he needed to rely on it. Any material desires such as money or even lodging could be his with the wave of a hand but no amount of these things would give him an advantage over Ainz and his people, being the confident imposing figure that he was now was the only way to guarantee a relatively safe stay. They only needed to believe that he truly was as terrifying as their king, if he could make them resign to seeing him as a creature relative to a supreme one then he wouldn't have to worry about being attacked in his sleep at the very least.

He had their full attention, he didn't have to raise his voice or even threaten them, it was as simple as attacking the ideology they lived under. Even now they would not act in a shameful way by contradicting their "guest", it was funny to consider how different a reaction he got in comparison to the old farts in the Theocracy. To top off his transgression he decided to act even more relaxed.

He took his helmet off.

"I guess it would be strange for me to start living here for no apparent reason, but it's obvious the skeleton wanted to give us a chance to get introductions out of way before he got back."

A moment slipped away in abject silence after he spoke.

The most dangerous thing about Nazarick's new "ally" wasn't just his own agenda but the authority he would be given within their home. Aside from Ainz himself the floor guardians had almost complete control, another man with the same relative power as their king would have to be given some form of control, though that then raised the question of just how much power he would hold.

Obviously Tanabe likely wouldn't be given authority over anyone directly but leaving someone with the power of a supreme one as anything lower than such also made no sense. To be a "partner" could place him anywhere on the spectrum from just a voiced opinion all the way to rivaling the words of the guardian overseer, even if Ainz would never put the admin's words over those of his guardians it was still a thought that scared even Albedo, especially with how confidently he stood before them now, not even slightly concerned with the idea that his opinions could be challenged.

"Anyway there's no point in thinking too hard about it now, I think the King's word is a bit more trustworthy than my own considering I've been causing some trouble. If it weren't for me some nation would have probably been taken over by now, I'll take responsibility for that and try to make amends if I can. Any ideas as to how I might be able to do so?"

The question was aimed at no one in particular, he just felt the need to throw it out and see if anyone could really answer him. Unsurprisingly Albedo was still the only who was willing to talk to him today, even Demiurge seemed reluctant to open his mouth.

"No...It is quite alright, if Lord Ainz doesn't seem to think you need to repay him then neither do I...We."

Her reply was slow and rather quiet, Tanabe knew he had the initiative to do what he wanted.

"Great, then I guess for now I'll worry about getting settled in and we can pick this back up when Gown is back, I'm sure you all agree that making decisions without him is a bad idea."

At this point he was tightrope walking over a pit of fire and spikes and pretending he didn't care, his personality too huge of a stark contrast to Ainz for the guardians to even have an idea of how to deal with him, they were as afraid of him as he should have been of them. If it were anyone else trying to bluff the guardians like this he'd probably be laughing at their misfortune, unfortunately he was the one stuck with the job. One could only imagine how much worse it would have been if the other guardians were trying to forcibly separate Albedo and Shalltear before they started fighting, sending her off was a good call.

"Oh, that's my job."

A cute voice was the first to break out in the silence aside from the admin's, Entoma rushing forward from the line alongside her sisters, her outburst startling both them and just about everyone else. The situation had been tense, Tanabe thought himself to be the only one who'd been taking it easy from the start but that mentality was very much proved wrong once the tiny maid stepped forward.

"Okay your room's over here."

She spoke again, not the slightest amount of concern present in her voice.

"Oh...Okay, lead the way then."

Did she seriously feel no fear in this situation? Was the admin not that big a deal to her? In truth the girl had just been zoned out for the entirety of the conversation, she didn't see it as her place to worry about what the stranger did or how he interacted with others, she'd had enough of that already in her little errand for Demiurge, if there were any important details she was sure Yuri would hammer them into her head at least a dozen times after this was all over.

With a tug, she pulled on his warrior's arm, the man himself both confused and worried. He took a look around, a bit nervous to see that the fate-deciding topic they were just on was being left behind so quickly, he even considered the possibility that it was a trap of some kind. Sure enough when he took that glance around he could see Yuri sighing, Lupusregina trying to stifle a giggle and a hard gaze coming his way from Sebas whom he was surprised to see was already back home and not with Solution in the Kingdom. It was then that he knew that he wasn't just being set up and knowing that he'd already crossed the point of no return felt no need to even care for making their opinions of him any worse.

Not wanting to be hunched down the entire time while being led away he instead opted to pick Entoma right up and set her on his shoulder, it felt much less embarrassing and this way if there really was a trap he wouldn't just be led into it so easily.

"This way you said, right?"

He strut forward confidently, doing his best not to pay any attention to the gazes aimed at him like loaded rifles. Out of all the moves he'd made this was probably the one time he seriously considered his life to be in danger and yet they let him go without even a slight argument, the room settling back into a brief silence once he was out of sight.

"His. Audacity. Is. Admirable."

Cocytus respected the warrior mentality almost as much as he respected Lord Ainz, standing in the face of danger and not showing any fear was deserving of his admiration, even if the receiver was a danger to them and what they stood for.

"I think he was kind of cool...Not as cool as Lord Ainz though…"

Mare made his thoughts known though his sister didn't agree in the slightest.

"Are you kidding Mare!? Don't fall for the same tricks Shalltear probably fell for!"

Aura was more upset out of concern than actual dislike for the person they'd just met, even she didn't get along with Shalltear they were like a family, having that family put in danger would make her upset regardless of circumstance.

"He's even more interesting than I first took him for, I look forward to seeing how he behaves in front of the supreme one."

Demiurge was the last to speak, amused at the thought he'd mentioned, the only man who could possibly challenge Ainz's authority had a personality just as unpredictable as Entoma mentioned, seeing how him and Ainz would interact in person made him a bit excited, though he soon saw that not everyone felt the same. To his side he could hear a bit of a grinding noise and he turned to see Albedo biting into the tip of her thumb, his smile vanishing for the first time in a long while.

In her frustration she'd gone through the skin and started biting away at the tissue below, blood now streaming onto the rest of her thumb as she attempted to regain her composure. Having someone insult Ainz was punishable by death, having someone insult the whole of Nazarick and be allowed to simply walk away however filled her with rage. Her adversary was nothing in comparison to the man she loved, of that she was sure and that is exactly what made his attitude so insufferable for her.

"What an infuriating man."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I have repaired the mask as you asked, Madam Shalltear."

A lone vampire bride stood amongst the mess of clothing that had become her floor guardian's room, the true vampire herself coming out from behind a sizable pile to claim the accessory.

The news of Shalltear's rebellion had never really been publicly addressed due to Ainz's concern of causing a massive panic among his subjects, though his silence on her sudden relocation following his trip to the kingdom did little to inspire confidence.

It was no secret that the true vampire had gotten herself involved with a dangerous entity outside the walls of their home but most denizens of the tomb simply chose to mind their own business, not just out of respect for the guardian herself but also out of sheer confidence in their leader's decisions. The economy of the tomb was one built upon trust and loyalty, if Ainz didn't feel the need to share details then no one would pry for information. Except maybe Demiurge.

With that being said the residents of the first, second and third floors were essentially left in a state of disarray without their floor guardian, not because they necessarily needed her there to actively govern their actions but because it was simply disheartening to be the only floor left without one, volatile as she may be. Shalltear was notoriously cruel to subordinates who made mistakes but that really only inspired them to be better than they were, in fear of being both inadequate to serve and of death. In the case of the vampire bride she was overjoyed to have Shalltear return, though said excitement was currently overshadowed by two other thoughts that plagued her mind: The absence of her sisters and the strange behavior of her mistress.

Normally Shalltear would have no less than two of them around her at any given moment while going about her daily duties, during her personal time that number could easily reach nearly a dozen of them. They weren't particularly powerful on their own but they were more than enough to deal with anyone who would cross her, save for a few special individuals such as Brain Unglaus who'd proven to be more than a match for them.

Today however, Shalltear only called for one of her many brides to deal with the mess before her, an act her subordinate could not figure the reasoning behind, after all the range of tasks they were left responsible of could be as simple as carrying junk or as obscure as accompanying their mistress to the bedroom. (Hey, they aren't called brides for nothing)

Secondly Shalltear herself seemed far less unforgiving than she usually did, enough so that it was almost as if she were showing compassion for her servant...A worrying sign. She'd heard rumors that Shalltear changed drastically personality wise but this was a nothing close to what she expected, she seemed mostly normal but something was off...If it wasn't stressful enough standing around Shalltear before it surely was now.

"Your staring is making me uncomfortable."

"M-My apologies ma'am."

A snappy comment forced the bride to look away, she hadn't meant for her own curiosity to come off as rude but she couldn't help but wonder whether or not the circumstances that lead to this moment made her either lucky or doomed. With all that Shallear had been through recently along with her somewhat odd behavior it wouldn't be too hard to believe that a single bride would be no more than a target for stress relief.

"If you have something to say then you should let me know now."

"I am...Unsure what it is you need me for, Madam."

Her hesitation made it obvious that she was hiding more but Shalltear didn't mind indulging the bride a bit, confusion wouldn't do them any favors.

"You are here to help me find suitable clothing to wear with this."

The guardian held up the mask once again, the pristine surface shining in the light. Such a problem seemed rather straightforward but really didn't answer her question all that well. Simply finding something to wear didn't seem like all that pressing an issue and the bride couldn't help asking for more.

"If you do not mind me asking, do you plan to wear that mask more often?"

"Only outside of Nazarick, I don't plan to leave anytime soon but a moron decided to inform me that it's a waste to have so much clothing and have a preference for only one outfit, therefore I am experimenting."

The "moron" in this situation was obviously Tanabe, even the bride with her limited information could tell that much, though it only confused her more. Why would she even listen to that man to begin with? She couldn't hope to move on while stuck with that thought.

"I thought Lord Ainz was the only man who's opinion mattered to you, ma'am."

That assumption made Shalltear sigh, it was obvious that statement hit a nerve.

"Unfortunately Lord Ainz has yet to give me an honest opinion related to how I dress, I only consider that of the other man's because of how often I was forced to listen to it while I was away."

Of course that made perfect sense in its own way but it wasn't really enough to satisfy the curiosity of the bride, the entire situation was just too strange to be left alone even if it was a bit disrespectful to ask so many questions.

"Then why did you only ask me to come along? If it is clothing it would be much more efficient to have many more of us here to dress you and clean up afterwards."

Prying for information wasn't something that could at all be considered as a good idea but for whatever reason she felt almost compelled to ask for answers regardless, for as long as the guardian was patient enough to indulge her she might as well take the chance right? Shalltear did not answer right away however, she seemed to instead be caught up in a new thought that surfaced.

"Well I picked you because-"

She paused for a moment as if contemplating her own reasoning before turning to face her bride and asking a new question entirely.

"Do you have a name?"

It caught the bride off guard, her entire train of thought disrupted by this new topic. Her own thoughts aside this was not something she ever expected to have to answer, not for someone who normally couldn't care less if her subordinates lived or died. For a second the bride stood quietly, pondering how she could answer the question in a way that would hopefully make sense.

"I do not...Myself as well as most others lost our identities long ago."

Names were not all that common amongst the brides, they were classified as pop monsters after all, they lived short lives dedicated in service to their mistress, something like a name was a not a privilege they either wanted nor cared for. If they spoke to one another then there were of course different ways in which they'd make a distinction but such interactions were few and far between. The sad truth was that Shalltear often considered them as disposable and most could not be expected to survive outside the confines of their home, a point that had been proven just recently. Both of the brides she'd brought to the Kingdom with her were far too weak to deal with the opposition, once they died they were easily replaced, which as a result led to the true vampire always referring to them as "You" or "it" without regards as to what their opinion might be, therefore it only made sense that the bride would be a bit perturbed at the idea.

"However I don't believe that matters-"

"Then from now on I'm calling you Julia."

For that moment the bride was speechless, being named was not something any sensible person would expect in this situation.

"Ma'am there's no reason for-"

"Shut up, Julia."

The bride stared forward in bewilderment, just like that she'd lost her privilege to have any initiative in the conversation, the time she had to ask questions coming to an end much quicker than she'd hoped. She was now dubbed "Julia", a thought that filled her with more concern than enthusiasm. It almost felt like a joke having her mistress care enough to give a lowly bride a name then proceed to use it so nonchalantly, even now she was simply holding the mask and looking through various other cosmetics as if the thought didn't weigh on her mind at all.

For a little while the two sat in a bit of silence, sorting through all manner of dresses, accessories and even costumes, most of which were simply tossed to the side and stacking up into even more messy piles on the bed and floor. As the servant Julia felt quite a bit of pressure but she wasn't the only one feeling a bit awkward.

Shalltear looked over at her bride and sighed before moving closer, instantly causing the bride to freeze up. Speaking so freely to begin with was not a common occurrence, she couldn't hope but feel for an instant that she'd gone and thrown away her privilege to ever open her mouth again, even an undead could feel the anxiety something like that would induce. Luckily for her it seemed that a much brighter future awaited her.

"I've given you a name for the purpose of convenience, from now on you will be my own personal assistant."

If her heart hadn't already died long ago it would have surely stopped right then. It took some time for those words to be processed and even longer for an actual reaction to come about, for a denizen of nazarick this was akin to winning the lottery, the only possible step up from there was being a personal attendant for Lord Ainz himself. The only follow-up that the bride could possibly manage to get out was the very same that one would expect from the overly loyal servants present within the tomb.

"But I'm not worthy and…"

Honestly what other reaction could be expected?. If it were Ainz he probably hold up his hand to shut her up immediately or tap his staff impatiently, it wasn't fun trying to convince others to simply accept being treated better than slaves. The true vampire had to resist the urge to roll her eyes, by now just about everyone had heard enough of this little rant, even the Pleiades had the habit of doing this whenever they were offered a reward of some kind. To stop the pointless banter and get her point across Shalltear instead decided to clamp her fingers into the face of the lesser vampire, squishing her cheeks as if she were a child and preventing her from talking.

"Because you aren't worthy you shouldn't be complaining either."

Her methods weren't exactly the most the most efficient but being forceful was the only way to make these kinds of situations dissolve without a misunderstanding.

"For now you'll be seperate from the other brides and their activities, instead you will stay here and interact only with me, do you understand?"

The only response she recieved was a slight nod between her clamped fingers.

"Good, then we have a lot more to do."

She let go of the brides face and turned her back to her, conscious of the strange decisions she'd made today. Having subordinates that actually had personality and were capable of curiosity was a scary reality, it should not be forgotten that the guardians were not the only ones who were capable of learning and of growth. Originally Shalltear only intended to have a singular servant assist her in hopes of avoiding having to interact with too many people but now she'd gone and given someone an unnecessary amount of importance, slowly she could feel the influence of that man rubbing off on her.

"Thank you ma'am...I do think together we can get this all sorted out in a few hours."

It was unnerving to realize the reality of the situation but for now Julia could only be glad, she'd been prepared for death and yet she was rewarded with the best possible promotion, there was no shortage of enthusiasm flowing through her now. Not until Shalltear reached her closet door anyway, the contents of which revealed that they'd only scratched the surface when it came to what lie ahead of them.

A dejected sigh made its way out from both women. Peroroncino had given her enough clothing that she could wear something different everyday for decades straight.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Darkness, that was the only thing Zesshi could remember.

Charging head on to provoke her fated one into combat sounded like an amazing idea at first but her current situation did little to support her decisions. She could clearly remember latching onto his back, biting into him and sending him into a near rampage, everything going perfectly as planned. Then there was the fall into the abyss, an event that robbed both her consciousness and her memory beyond that point.

As she was now she couldn't feel a thing, in fact it felt as if her senses in general were non-existent, no matter how she tried there was nothing but an encroaching darkness that seemed to consume her very being. The first assumption she made was that she had fallen into a lower floor and was currently buried in rubble, if that were the case then her current numbness and inability to move would make sense but even that was eventually disproven as rubble wouldn't have kept her like this, even if every bone in her body was crushed and the entire palace had been brought down on top of her she could have still found a way to escape.

Where was she? She tried everything she possibly could to find out: Magic, skills, martial arts, even swallowing her pride to try calling out for help but it was all useless, she didn't even have a voice to shout with. An hour of putting up with this and she was seriously considering the possibility of already being dead, fortunately a literal light in the darkness gave her the opportunity she needed.

A large hand grabbed onto her collar and pulled her free from her confinement, tossing her back out into the open world.

The first thing she noticed was an unusual softness to the ground, secondly was the intense pain in her head and body that stopped her from simply propping herself up to see where she was. It was like coming back to life or waking up from a coma, going from an empty darkness in which she couldn't even breathe to suddenly being struck with her once blocked senses all at once, it took her a minute just to have her eyes adjust to the light in the room.

A bit of struggling and she was able to turn her head and take in the world around her. The "ground" she thought she was on was a dark purple, soft enough that she could leave an indent in it just by laying a there.

 _A bed?_

Not just an average bed either, a ridiculously large one, wide enough that it was no surprise that she thought she was on the ground. With the space she could see on just one side it would have been possible to easily fit another six or seven people, maybe more. Moving up and and getting her head on a pillow she was able to get a better perspective on the environment. To be frank the room was huge, adorned with a needless amount of furnishing, aside from the bed there were several other places to sit or lie down, even the floor seemed to be covered in a huge rug that looked like the fur of a massive creature. The room was different from any she'd seen in the past, she'd not seen anything this luxurious even in her own home.

Then a loud metallic thunk caught her attention, a sound that matched movement just out of her sight at the foot of the bed. She attempted to lift her head slightly, just enough to peer across at the end though she wouldn't have to try very hard. The man stood up on his own, giving her full view.

Before her lied the classic warrior stereotype: A large back littered with scars, messy dark hair that had clearly seen the inside of a helmet, and a swollen figure that could only be attained through years of training. She could tell immediately who she was looking at from behind, the lack of armor not throwing her off one bit, there was no other person it could have been.

The man in question looked over his shoulder, the large amber eyes taking in the scene before him. Zesshi Zetsumei was both awake and observing him and despite his usual indifference he couldn't help but feel a little self conscious, this was after all his first time going around without armor or at least a helmet on. Back in Yggdrasil he might have been mocked for the lack of creativity when it came to his avatar, just about any edgy teen could make a giant buff guy with dragon eyes, as if that wasn't weird enough he still had to get used to the foreign face he was now stuck with. Ainz had a skeletal visage and the mentality of an undead, thus such a problem would probably never cross his mind but it was a much different story for the self proclaimed executioner.

His body may have seemed like that of a trained elite but obviously the size, shape and even the scars had all been designed by him long ago, they'd naturally been part of his body since level one, there was no story he could give for his muscular body nor the scars that adorned it. Apart from that he never really planned to walk around unmasked so his face wasn't all that much to look at, bland and normal, eyebrows constantly furrowed giving him a permanent aggressive look, nothing especially standing out aside from his eyes. For this reason he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous when it came to others seeing him for the first time, despite his insecurity however he would learn just how little of a difference it made. If there were more than just one player to criticize him it may have been a justifiable worry but in this world it wouldn't be right to describe him as anything less than a monster. There were already those who looked at the facade that was Momon and called him a being that defied imagination, just how would they react upon seeing someone like him? He didn't even want to imagine it.

"Well I didn't expect you to already be up after I brought you back out...Actually I didn't think it'd work to begin with so I count this as a success regardless."

He spoke quickly, hoping to breeze past any awkwardness that may have been caused by their exchange of glares.

"So I bet you're wondering a million questions right now like 'Where am I?' or 'How did you get those cool scars?', right? Well rest assured this is nothing for you to worry your little head about, now that both of you two troublesome girls are up we can figure out how to resolve our connection without any of us having to meet the twisted tentacle torture machine."

Anyone would have gotten stuck on his strange description of Neuronist Painkill but for Zesshi she'd stopped listening the moment he said "two troublesome girls". The situation she'd found herself in was already a lot to take in at a moment's notice but sure enough he hadn't been joking when he said two. Sitting on the bed next to Zesshi was the tiny wind goddess, the sight of which blew her mind.

"Yep, you just go ahead and stare her down 'til you reach a conclusion, I'll wait."

Tanabe's sarcasm wouldn't solve any problems but honestly he didn't exactly have a working explanation regarding the small girl with power of a Player, Ainz himself had already pieced together that the two of them weren't affiliated. In terms of knowledge she seemed to know about Yggdrasil and how that world functioned but outside of that she was completely blank, a few memories of her comrades and their exploits perhaps but almost literally nothing aside from that. In the short time he'd gotten to talk to her he realized that she either wasn't an actual human player or was nothing more than the remnants of someone who once existed. Sure she retained a good amount of the strength that she had when she was alive previously but the reality of the situation was that she'd been dead a long time, what was left of her mind and soul had all but rotted away in that tomb, the person he spoke to now was little more than an empty shell, a very annoying empty shell.

As for Zesshi's experiences with said shell the story would only get more and more complicated and he knew he had no chance of explaining it in a way that would make sense to them or anyone else, therefore he thought it best to simply throw the two together and listen to their thoughts. Zesshi would likely come up with some outlandish theory regarding what she was currently seeing, all Tanabe would do was take it as inspiration and meld together a believable enough story to satisfy the skeleton and his subordinates, the same strategy he used to try explaining the concept of a "real world" to Shalltear.

"You...Have we met before?"

Unless of course...Zesshi managed to throw yet another curve ball his way. He should have known by now not to depend on this woman for anything but trouble, her response was enough to make him punch himself in the face, the sound stealing the attention of both ladies before him.

"Well that's going to be a lot harder to do than I thought...I guess we'll move on and cover the other important topics first."

He let out a huff before speaking again, dealing with two people who seemed both indifferent but also capable of killing him in his sleep would not be a fun venture.

"Alright first things first, I guess...Zesty I'm gonna need your full attention for this."

Acting commanding and imposing like Ainz, a good strategy for getting people to listen. If there was ever a moment he could get Zesshi to listen to him it was now.

"You are within a specialized underground tomb known as Nazarick, its filled undead, demons, monsters and maids. I was able to drag you here by stuffing you into my shadow, just like putting an item in my inventory. Honestly I wasn't sure it would work on a person or if you even know what an inventory is but that's beside the point. You're here now, stuck under the thumb of a necromancer who could wipe you and your nation out in the blink of an eye, so if you want any opportunity to survive you should shut up and listen to everything I have to say."

That introduction was meant to engrain the idea that she should definitely avoid making trouble but the look in her eye suggested that she'd do the exact opposite, it was only natural that the dragonkin would move to his next thought quickly.

"This place is not some dungeon you can tackle just for fun, if you manage to get caught by any of the Floor Guardians or their boss you'll be killed of immediately and while I'm sure you're eager to commit suicide like the battle junkie you are you should know that even I probably don't stand a chance of getting out alone."

That statement caught her attention, he didn't need to give unnecessary details as long as she understood just how trapped she was.

"Now any sensible person would probably be wondering just what this place is and where it came from but I doubt you even care about that sort of thing, instead I'm going to have your attention placed on the plan I have here. I realized that leaving you alone in the Theocracy was a huge mistake, if I'm ever going to get any peace of mind I'll either have to kill you or give in to your stupid plans…And while I'm all for hitting on a pretty lady the thought of having someone like you chasing me scares me a bit."

He took a moment to let out a bit of an exaggerated shiver, being hunted down and assaulted by a crazy woman was probably the dream scenario for a man out there somewhere but he was not that man.

"I have a bit of a proposition for you. I noticed that whatever technique you were using to bash away entire chunks of wall and floor during our little battle was unlike any skill or spell I've seen in the past. I can only assume it was among those strange attacks called martial arts, am I right?"

She gave him a strange glare, it was clear that she was waiting to hear his declaration before deciding on whether or not to give him an answer, with the amount of information running through her head she was probably fully intent on doing something rash and violent the moment she could move again and he would have liked to subdue that will to fight before it was too late.

"So here's my idea: You start showing me how to do those fancy little tricks and I won't just throw you away to be tortured and turned into a rotting flesh bag by the rest of the people here. If you're cooperative you might even get the chance to uh...Have kids or something, whatever you were saying before."

He coughed a lot at the end of that statement, dealing with women was not his strong suit, especially when they had ideas like that. As far as his agreement went he knew that they probably wouldn't be able to keep Zesshi down if she had the opportunity to recover but for now he just needed her cooperation, once the commotion settled down and he could move a bit more freely then he wouldn't mind moving on to more pressing issues regarding his hostage.

"I refuse."

"Excuse you, that's not an option."

He wasn't expecting such a quick denial however, he was sure that putting her in a corner would make her submit much easier. Unfortunately the half elf didn't seem to have her resolve even slightly broken.

"If you cannot kill all of the so called threats in this place then you are weak and I won't listen to you."

"Are...Are you serious right now?"

It was the most unreasonable thing he'd heard her say thus far: He was weak for not trying to take on the whole of Nazarick? If he wasn't so confused he would be rather upset to hear someone call him weak.

"If you aren't going to listen then you won't get the opportunity to move ever again."

His threat didn't even make her flinch, a realization that frustrated him further.

"Fine, we'll talk about it again after you spend a bit more time in the dark."

She seemed surprised to hear those words come from his mouth but even still she didn't plead for help, as the shadow loomed over her and she was dragged back down she only had the strength to give him a fierce glare, her intentions echoing loud and clear without her saying a word.

 _You won't break me._

Tanabe could understand it completely, even after she was gone he felt like he was the one being punished.

"God, what was I thinking bringing her with me? Of all the stupid decisions I could have made this unruly woman has made thing ten times harder for no reason."

He let out a sigh before sitting at the edge of the bed, taking time to finish removing the gauntlets he was still wearing. With this his entire upper body was bare, his greaves being the only thing he kept on and his ring now adjusting to fit his open finger. A few seconds later and he managed to find something in his inventory that looked much more comfortable: A robe that draped over his body, one of the few things that would let him get away with not having to wear a shirt.

His hopes for today's talk with Zesshi had been dashed, now he was stuck trying to figure out a way to bring her in line before Ainz showed up searching for the hostage he mentioned. He let out a sigh, at least he didn't have to worry about the guardians coming to pulverize him. He took a look over the small wind user still sitting on the bed with a look of indifference, in the end she seemed completely unaffected by the entire exchange. Getting someone like her to cooperate was a hundred times easier.

"Wanna go get some lunch?"

Those words were headed without hesitation.

Took forever because it's way longer than usual


	29. Proposal

I only just got back from a couple months time with my family for a trip out of the country. I didn't have much time to even think about writing during the time leading up to the trip, which is why I made the previous chapter so long. I can happily say that I'm back again and this small one is the start of me getting back into it.

Please Enjoy

There was no such thing as too paranoid, at least not when you were Ainz Ooal Gown. After sending his "associates" away the lich himself was left with the task of making absolutely sure that his meddling in the Theocracy wouldn't have any debilitating consequences in the near future, a task that wound up being far more complicated than he would have liked.

Aside from the destructive conflict between his allies along with his subsequent tampering of Theocracy secrets, the meeting between nations went relatively well. For the time being the Theocracy would avoid initiating a full on conflict with the Kingdom and lend their support towards a truce, the exact outcome that would put the Baharuth Empire at risk of fighting two nations at once. Barring any surprises things would proceed exactly as planned with the Empire making an aggressive move to stamp out the Kingdom before things got to that point, forcing the tension between both nations to lead into a proxy war whilst the larger one was on hold. Ainz would then make a convenient entrance and dominate the battle singlehandedly, the result being Nazarick finally being revealed to the rest of the world along with the establishment of a new Kingdom. His Kingdom. If he weren't so focused on everything that could go wrong he might have actually felt a bit giddy. Unfortunately, that was not a reality he could embrace.

While he'd happily accept their cooperation, the Theocracy had officially become one of the biggest headaches the necromancer ever had the displeasure of associating himself with. The nation was a strong one, filled with promising warriors and scholars alike and an army that made the Kingdom's need for conscriptions look like an embarrassment, as far as infrastructure went you wouldn't find a single crack...That is if you only looked from the outside. The gilded surface of the Theocracy hid the nightmare that was it's political scene.

As a theocracy the nation's leadership was centered completely around religion, obviously, though that very fact was exactly what prevented a faithless undead from seeing them in a good light. If you could control what people believed in then you could control their entire lives with minimal effort, that was the mindset he now had and as a result Ainz found himself to be blindly pessimistic when it came to dealing with the people in control, particularly those he'd spent the past few hours negotiating with.

The "Cardinals" that he'd met were clearly no more than pawns, it was already hard to believe that he'd just strut in and meet the leaders of the Theocracy with minimal effort just because he'd tagged along with the princess but his suspicions were all but confirmed once he revealed himself to them. Cowering, comparing him to their long dead god, had they shown any less dignity he would have equated them to little more than a cult. Even if he were to believe that he'd just gotten lucky...No, they'd given into his demands far too easily, believing that the leaders of a powerful nation would submit to him with no strings attached was an obvious bait, after all who would believe that the same group who'd headhunted nearly every non-human race would simply bow their heads to a single undead sorcerer? The truth was not too difficult to imagine: The submission was a front, either to avoid upsetting him or to at the very least decrease the likelihood of him taking direct action against the nation whilst they figured out what to do.

The country was filled with more than just priests and knights roaming about praising the sun, odds were the entire meeting was just a setup to gather information, he could at least assume they were smart enough to plan that far ahead. Outside from the very obvious walk-in invitation trap there was also the very likely possibility that the "cardinals" he met were nothing more than body doubles. The truce he'd forced into existence was nothing more than a liability, they'd be watching, waiting to get an idea of just how scary he truly was. They knew from the very start what they were dealing with, they'd probably figured that much out the moment he'd personally annihilated the Sunlight Scripture, not to mention the little airhead he now had back home. They may not have known just how he'd go about revealing himself but they'd already planned for the worst, they gave him what he wanted and it was simply in his best interest to play along with their plot for the time being, though it irked him immensely to be a part of anyone's games.

With conditions like these anyone would be skeptical of the Theocracy already, but that much didn't even cover the direct threat they posed. The more worrying issue was none other than the untimely battle that Tanabe and Shalltear were forced to take part in, which in this case the "who" was more important than the why.

From his understanding a "Godkin" was supposed to be the descendent of a Player, making them powerful individuals who were comparable to their elders. That fact alone was already a lot to think about without one of them taking the liberty of challenging the two warriors he'd brought along with him, a near suicidal move that should have led to her being slaughtered without question, yet she was somehow strong enough to actually put up a fight...Against a man who held enough power to be a supreme one and the strongest guardian in Nazarick. No matter how one sided the fight may have been, the attacker had not only survived but also wound up being the indirect cause of said guardian losing consciousness. That was a terrifying thing to consider.

Up until now the whole of Nazarick seemed convinced that no single person should have been anything more than an insect, yet a very real physical threat landed right in front of them, attacked mercilessly, and the Theocracy just let her do it! They didn't seem even slightly worried for the now apparent absence of their godkin, how badly might things have gone if it were just the lich and Narberal? There would be no possible way to keep his persona as Momon for long, he'd be put into a conflict that he couldn't hope to solve without making some sacrifices. For once he felt a bit grateful to have had that admin around, even if he hadn't resolved the issue as quietly as he could have.

So where exactly had the Theocracy been hiding such a person, and what role would she have played outside of trying to kill them? Considering how well the Pleiades could stack up to the rest of the world a godkin as powerful as Zesshi could easily dominate the country or even more with relative ease, the fact that she was seemingly just wandering around and took fights as she saw fit didn't very well explain her place among the population. The information he was able to extort from his new "allies" answered a wide range of questions for him but this topic had been left rather vacant, the only reasonable conclusion Ainz could make was that the godkin were pawns controlled through either loyalty or belief but he had no real basis to make that claim outside of it being a religious country, he could just as easily assume that they simply did as they wanted and no one else was able bodied enough to stop them...Which would make them nearly unstoppable monsters that were waiting to be unleashed upon him, or at least that was the only way he could view them in regards to his plans.

The Theocracy had been hiding an ace up their sleeve, how many more wild cards did they have at their disposal? Did they expect her to cause so much damage to their own palace? Did all of them have that level of power? Or maybe it was more accurate to say that the resistance she was met with far exceeded their expectations. The questions only continued to flow in and no answer seemed satisfying. There were people in the natural world who held either the power or knowledge to impede his progress while threatening the safety of his home and people, he didn't even want to imagine what could happen if a coordinated army of such men and women invaded Nazarick, let alone the nation he planned to establish in the near future. There was no such thing as PvP-safe zone here, they wouldn't even be affected by the rules of a party system or have a limit on what strategies they could employ. The only possible preparations he could make would have to come from a field test...Perhaps even going so far as to invite intruders into his home and see how they stacked up to Nazarick's defenses, maybe even formulate a plan on how to go about dealing with them in real time.

The Necromancer stopped to look up at the sky.

"That idea is actually a really good one isn't it?"

He would need to have a long discussion with Demiurge and Albedo once he returned, that idea might have been more effective than it sounded.

"What?"

Another voice ringing through the night air would remind him that he wasn't alone with his thoughts quite yet. His cold gaze turned to meet that of his companion's

The questions swimming through Ainz's skull at that very moment far outnumbered the answers he had, giving him a sense of uneasiness that prevented him from feeling at all comfortable with the decisions he'd made, but it was too late to be indecisive. After several hours of careful negotiation, asserting his dominance and keeping an eye out for literally anything else that could go wrong he'd found himself exactly where he started: Alone with Evileye, or Keeno as he now learned her name to be.

Of all the people the Overlord had met in this world thus far very few had the capability to earn either his respect or his admiration, the only person who'd done so was Gazef Stronoff with a few others trailing behind but this tiny vampire had easily surpassed even the Warrior Captain. Compared to the inspiring bravery that Gazef had shown the mage was nearly the exact opposite, her qualities were better appreciated outside of combat prowess and more in the information department. Not only had she been around long enough to gain the valuable experience that the necromancer and his subordinates were sorely lacking but she also delved into a subject that was more than interesting for a mage like him: The ability to copy or even create new spells, a tidbit that nearly blew his mind. Full on magical development wasn't something he'd had the most success in and up until now he'd been expanding his abilities in other fields to compensate for potential weaknesses, though the now prevalent possibility of going to the next level with his magic only made him more excited to delve back into the realm he'd initially invested all of his time in.

"This is your final night within the Theocracy isn't it?"

He played off accidentally blurting out his mind by opening a new topic and her response was quick to follow.

"Yes, we will depart by carriage tomorrow morning."

The events that followed the meeting weren't anything special, the guests had an opportunity to stay and recuperate before the journey home, a necessary respite if they were to take on yet another small army on the way back. This time they wouldn't be able to rely on Darkness to decimate the enemies with ease, though that mattered little to Ainz, he was more worried about whether or not letting Evileye return at all was a good idea given what she'd learned.

"Returning to the Kingdom is likely in your best interest for now, I cannot have what happened today reach the general public so I took precautions against it. I'm not sure you fully understand it but I assure you no one was harmed, though you will find that most will be incapable of recalling today's events exactly as they transpired."

The sorcerer picked his words carefully, knowing very well how easy it would be to simply sweep the vampire off her feet and run away to Nazarick without the slightest care, but he wasn't that audacious, if he were he'd have burned down half the cities he'd encountered thus far and built his kingdom himself. Evileye had been his partner throughout this entire fiasco, as such he'd been very respectful and trusting of her opinion, she was an undead like him and given the day's events he'd now formulated an unhealthy attachment for her. That being said there was only one idea in mind regarding her situation: He needed to bring her to his side, not just as an ally but as a permanent addition to Nazarick, even without his attachment her wealth of knowledge still made her a very valuable individual. The only foreseeable issue he saw was possible conflict with some of his guardians but he'd already planned for that outcome, after all the whole point of sending the dynamic duo home earlier was to get his subjects used to the idea of newcomers, even in the most extreme cases.

"...As I have brought some trouble upon you I'd like to sincerely apologize, though what we discussed earlier is still on my mind. I'd like you to join me if possible, though I won't force you to do anything, it is little more than a selfish request on my part."

He may not have been able to feel much but this was the closest he'd get to being any sort of romantic, given how she'd been putting up with him all this time he had to at least try to seem interested, right? Well he was interested in her but it would be hard to call it anything close to romantic, nonetheless he took his chances. The response he received was a slow nod then an equally slow reply afterwards.

"Yes...I understand."

"Excellent...I will inform colleagues of mine to contact you in the near future, in the meantime..."

The necromancer stopped there and stared quietly for a second to think of the plans he'd made, patience was important but given how busy he'd wind up being in just a few weeks time he would have preferred to get her true response to his proposal sooner rather than later. He focused once again on the girl in front of him before reaching into his inventory and taking out a small item: A message scroll.

"It may be a bit premature of me to do so but...This will allow you to contact me directly should the need arise. I don't expect there to be a convenient time for both of us to sit down and speak but this should give you some leeway to make a personal move should you want to do so before we have any arrangements set in stone."

The vampire took the scroll and he went through the motions of explaining how to use the spell effectively, hoping to avoid dwelling on the subject. To him this should have been no different from handing off those goblin horns to Enri in the past, though this held a bit more significance behind it. His word would always be trusted by his subjects but there were only so many good reasons he could give for his actions before they went from justified to paranoid in nature.

"You don't plan on returning to the Kingdom with the rest of us?"

An awkward yet inevitable question came from the vampire, his answer would be one to match it.

"With the arrangements I've made no one aside from you and a few others should know the truth behind why we suddenly vanished."

There was no right way for him to give that answer with complete assurance, after all he knew the true point of the question she asked. She knew already that he couldn't just go back normally as if nothing had happened, in actuality her question was more along the lines of "Are you going to make me go back alone?", something he had a very hard time deciding upon. To go back to her accomplices and hide what she'd learned wouldn't be easy and she wasn't entirely confident that she could pretend all was well.

"The magic I used is...Already something I'd rather not rely on, to alter someone's mind for my own purposes is best left as a last resort."

Again he stressed his morality, there was very little else he could use as leverage. He let her think on it for a moment before continuing.

"In this case I was able to remove most of our involvement, a surprise visit from the sorcerer known as Ainz Ooal Gown should have nothing to do with Darkness...And it should come as no surprise that when that sorcerer goes and does something catastrophic such as blow away an entire portion of your ally's home to make an example...That the dark warrior cannot just sit idly by and watch, he would of course have to track that sorcerer for the sake of the Kingdom's protection."

He paused for a moment to survey the emotions on the girl's face. Already she seemed to understand his point, the fabrication of events he'd created to cover their escape was already a bit too far fetched to consider tampering with now.

"It's a good excuse for him and his group not to return for some time, but the same cannot be said for you, I trust you with the information I've shared so far but without proper reason I cannot allow things to progress much further, not of my own volition."

His point was clear and his hand played, any further interaction between the two of them would have to start with her, he would not allow himself to dictate what their relationship would be and possibly put her at risk, no it would have to be her decision, her decision to further involve herself with what most would see as an embodiment of death itself, a being who went far beyond anything someone could expect to encounter in their lives. It would have to be her decision alone, the pressure that put on her matched just about everything else that was weighing on her mind for the entirety of the trip to this country, this much shouldn't have been something she was prepared to handle.

"If you understand then I will take my leave for today..."

Those words weren't the best to end on but he couldn't think of anything inspiring to say, this whole situation was already awkward enough without any extra input, in his mind there was no need to make the girl feel more conflicted than she already was.

"Seven days."

He stopped to stare. Her input was unexpected.

"I only need that long to think this over and clear up any misunderstandings, after that...I'll use this to talk to you again."

It was an unexpected turn of events but a welcome one, after all she'd been through one would expect her to need at least a week just to digest all the information she learned, not make a life changing decision. While it was impossible for him to feel any true surprise Ainz could at the very least admit to being shocked.

One week. She would give him her answer in just that short amount of time, would he himself even be prepared to hear it? Of course he would, she was already taking the first step forward, it would be a blunder not to meet it head on. He could only accept what she had to say, already mentally preparing himself for their next meeting.

With a nod he turned his back, their promise was one he was eager to keep, if only he didn't need to save face by being such a well mannered leader.

An incantation was uttered into the night sky and the Necromancer vanished from sight.

With a single spell he'd traveled across the land far faster than any other method of transportation could have taken him, landing before his tomb in complete silence.

When he entered those doors, no even as he approached them he would be flooded with praise and the attention of his people welcoming him back. He was ready to finally return home.

He was not ready for a large hand to suddenly land on his shoulder.

The panic was immediately dispersed by a familiar voice.

"Honestly, I think we can count this as successfully giving a girl your number."

What a way to welcome someone back home, the only reason the admin hadn't spontaneously caught fire was because of the lich taking his words as a sort of compliment rather than a taunt, though that didn't save him from the evil glare and fierce questioning.

"I've no interest in you watching my business, but you are waiting here because…?"

"About that...I sort of brought up the fact that Albedo wanted to somehow have a skeleton get her pregnant and she tossed me out."

The silence between the two persisted.

"What can I say, I was really interested to figure out her reasoning behind it."

"Interesting, then you may continue pondering the answer here."

"Come on, don't be like that!"

He'd already squandered his chances, the necromancer was leaving him behind with his shame. The admin was still not someone to be trusted but at the very least he knew how to keep things from getting boring.

With One Punch Season 2 around I feel like I can continue Tatsu the Monster...More on that next time.


	30. Filler

Who's ready for a whole lot of dialogue?

Please Enjoy

 _Finally._

That was the one word on everyone's minds as the undead sorcerer sat in his throne after what felt like ages. The past several weeks had been mentally taxing on just about everyone in the tomb, having their true leader return once again was just what was needed to lift spirits.

"The expedition was a success."

A short and powerful statement to start his speech, and with it his news covering the meeting and the next potential step in his plans. From the outside it may have sounded a bit cliche but it was still something he'd rehearsed multiple times due to his own doubts about his leadership, he would be as intimidating and confident as he needed to be for the sake of his subordinates.

 _Speaking of which…_

As the thought of subordinates crossed his mind he took a glance over to the very one he'd promised to reward.

"Narberal Gamma, I will not force you to answer now but I'd like you to take some time to think of a reward for your hard work, do not consider it an act of selfishness, do this at my insistence."

To be singled out by the supreme one was already enough reward as is, that was what she wanted to think but he'd already shown her that he would accept no such answer, even if there was nothing in the world she could honestly say she wanted there would be no denying his order. She bowed her head and answered attentively.

"Yes, Lord Ainz."

"Good, and I want the rest of you to take this as an example for future reference as well. Your service to me and to Nazarick as a whole is an important job, do not think yourselves unworthy of attention."

A chorus of acknowledgment came his way, he'd gotten quite good at making kingly decrees. He looked forward once more at the alignment of guardians standing before him, with those thoughts out of the way he could begin to focus on more important matters.

"Now before we continue on with any further information in regards to what's happening outside the tomb, I know that you were all forced to have a rather abrupt meeting with our new ally."

All eyes turned to the admin, even he seemed a bit surprised at how suddenly he was mentioned. Almost no one in the room even saw this man as an asset, let alone an ally, just a hindrance to their way of life. His entrance had indeed been abrupt and his personality did him no favors when it came to making friends, knowing this it was difficult for Tanabe to give any sort of formal greeting.

"Yeah...You've all met me already...Guy with the giant biceps."

"Is that why you consider it necessary to walk around without covering your upper body?"

Ainz followed up with a sly remark immediately, much to the disdain of the other player. Retaliating to harassment inside the tomb was hard enough to ignore already, he didn't need their leader encouraging it.

"I like to show off, that and I have nothing that fits me aside from my armor."

That was a plain lie, he had loads of unused gear, but it had gone unused for a reason. It was old and underleveled, much like the trash loot a player often left behind when they got something new, the only reason he hadn't thrown any of it away was out of sentiment and a lack of need to do so. Ainz didn't seem to catch the lie but it didn't seem to squander his enthusiasm either.

"Perhaps we could have something made for you then."

Was this generosity or just something the skeleton didn't see as a big deal? Whatever it was it surely didn't make anyone else feel any less awkward, the necromancer was acting awfully casual about such a sensitive topic and it was worrying. The last meeting between the new player and the guardians was a step away from disaster, though Ainz didn't seem at all bothered by that knowledge, he continued talking as if the subject was nothing more than casual conversation.

"Your need to show your masculinity aside I believe it is time to make your position known to everyone else."

Breaths were held upon hearing that statement, he seemed casual even about something that could change the very hierarchy within the tomb, either he seriously didn't see the issue as a problem or was in too good a mood to care, no one would ask which, the news he'd deliver was far too important. Up until now Tanabe had only admitted to being a bystander and came up with convenient excuses to avoid the topic, now they'd get the truth straight from the leader's mouth.

"Given the circumstances I believe it would be appropriate to place you as an advisor, an outside opinion free from any bias. Of course you would receive all benefits that anyone else in Nazarick would as well as the opportunity to make your input known risk-free. Is that acceptable for you?"

Everyone froze to process the news save for the admin who seemed to instantly go from suspicious to excited.

"Heck yeah, that sounds way better than being 'A freeloading peasant'."

An insult like that was all the testimony needed to show just how hectic things must have been in the short time that he had been spending in the tomb, chaos that prompted a new voice to join the discussion.

"Excuse me Lord Ainz, have you perhaps come to trust this individual?"

The voice belonged to none other than Demiurge. He would never doubt the decisions of his king but someone needed to say what was on all of their minds.

"No, Demiurge, I do not trust him. One of my guardians however, whom I do trust, has a certain amount of faith in him. Her word is the deciding factor here."

No further explanation was needed, Shalltear was the obvious culprit, her reaction to the spotlight being no better than Tanabe's only she wouldn't get the chance to throw out a comment.

"Lord Ainz, are you certain that's a good idea?"

Now Albedo spoke up, practically initiating a fight with the way she clearly voiced her doubt in her fellow guardian. Under normal circumstances this sort of thing could easily escalate into a very loud argument, this time however Ainz was quicker.

"Shalltear."

He'd only said her name but it was enough to quiet everyone else in an instant. Their doubt was natural, they'd come to have mixed feelings about the situation as a whole. First was her practically being captured by an enemy, then the shift in behavior once she returned leading to her eventually having a temporary exclusion from her home. All of this had been caused by her involvement with this shady player, it was hard for anyone else to believe that she didn't at the very least have a bias for this intruder.

"I have some questions that I would like you to answer truthfully, I intend to quell any doubt that has been placed on you."

"I understand."

The skeleton took a second to shift his weight and give an intense gaze, the back and forth discussion would begin.

"You still consider Nazarick your home don't you?"

"Yes."

He had a simple plan and a number of simple questions to accommodate it, if Shalltear were honest then this much should have been easy.

"If your home were under threat you would still protect it by any means as you always have, wouldn't you?"

"Of course."

"And despite your differences you would protect your fellow guardians as well?"

"...Yes."

Her response to that last question was slow but the lich did not allow it to bother him. These questions were more of a test of will than anything else, if she had the courage to lie to him then this would slowly strip it away.

"And you consider me your one uncontested ruler, do you not?"

"I do."

"Then even if your own life were in danger it would make no difference."

"No…"

"And no amount of emotional trauma has changed your opinion of me?"

Another brief pause drifted by, this one taken more seriously than the last. Shalltear's silence toward that question was immediately seen as suspicious for the Guardians present, the necromancer himself however exercised patience, this wasn't the first time he'd asked her a question like this. Her answer was just what he expected it to be.

"I do indeed see you as my supreme one, but it's difficult to say whether or not I feel the same...Enthusiasm?"

Defending her position without giving a real answer to his question, a dangerous move. It wouldn't be accurate to say that her feelings for him had necessarily changed but at this point she was more confused and scared of her own emotions than anything else.

"Hm...I appreciate the honesty, forgive me for making you uncomfortable."

His apology evoked a bit of a gut reaction out of her, denying him having been responsible and also blaming herself, he'd learned to tune out these sorts of things by now, what was more important was the reaction from the other guardians. This level of confrontation wasn't meant to pin any sort of negative thoughts on Shalltear, instead the lich was hoping to bring out anything she'd neglected to mention since returning home and get everyone on the same page. Now he could push forward.

"Despite some changes to your overall opinion, would it be correct to assume that you would still fulfill every obligation of a guardian?"

"Yes."

"Then I can say with certainty that my confidence in you has remained the same, I still have full trust in your decisions as I know they will not endanger Nazarick."

"Thank you, Lord Ainz…"

After speaking his mind the necromancer took a brief moment to glance around the room, making note of anyone who was still showing their uncertainty. The others would have to respect his decision for the time being but he knew this wouldn't be enough to clear their doubts.

"That being said we have another topic to discuss. Our friend here-"

"I have abbreviated my name to Tan for ease of use!"

The admin's interruption was only partially ignored, no one really cared about his name or whatever title he wanted to give himself.

"Our new acquaintance 'Tan' mentioned encountering an individual whose power far exceeded that of any other creature we have encountered thus far, enough so that they actually gave the both of you some trouble, even going so far as to cause you to lose consciousness. Is that the truth?"

Murmurs could be heard around the room immediately, that sounded completely unbelievable.

"Yes...The enemy was far more formidable than we could have imagined, she is also the same person responsible for the damages to that palace. She was an extremely violent individual and suppressing her proved difficult…And as embarrassing as it is I did indeed lose consciousness due to an unfortunate incident involving her."

Clearly some very important details were left out but more or less the story was sound and thus there was no reason to deny it, Shalltear would omit the part where they had a discussion with the other godkin as well as Tanabe rampaging around like an angry gorilla after being bitten. She herself felt a bit ashamed to admit to being knocked out but Tanabe on the other hand almost wanted to cheer, Shalltear hadn't mentioned anything that might incriminate him, such as running away and attracting unnecessary attention or the little mishap between the two when they argued. It was Ainz's turn again.

"And so he has at least proven that he wouldn't betray us for a potential enemy."

"No...At least not for anyone involved with that woman…"

The whispering got louder. Ainz outstretched a hand, silencing everyone immediately.

"Afterwards he expressed both concern for your safety as well as disdain at the thought of harming you in any physical, mental or emotional way. Do you think he was genuine about that?"

"Yes, I guess? I don't think he is capable of putting on an act to that degree."

Her real thoughts were "I'm not sure he's smart enough to pull that off." and also "He left claw marks in my arm so he better not have been joking." but she wouldn't make things more complicated than they needed to be.

"Very well, then this is my last question: Despite his carefree nature and previous mistakes do you believe he is trustworthy?"

More silence. This was the real question that this discussion had been leading up to, a single word would resolve the issue and at the very least prevent hostility from arising within the walls of the tomb.

"Yes…Well, he's not a threat."

The first sound to be made a was an abnormally loud sigh of relief, the admin himself felt as though a bomb had been defused right in front of him and the massive relief he felt simply couldn't be contained.

"Thank you madam, you have graced me with your benevolence and I am eternally grateful."

An overly dramatic line followed by an exaggerated bow of respect, something that looked extremely awkward for someone as large as himself. Surely anyone in his situation might have felt inclined to do the same, his reputation however would make him regret his actions.

A loud sharp thunk pierced through the air.

"OW, WHAT THE F-"

The admin yelled in both surprise and anger, he'd received a flick to the forehead, a very painful flick, the true vampire didn't appreciate his little performance at all.

"Your sarcasm is making me regret putting even the slightest amount of faith in you."

"It wasn't sarcasm you tiny leech, it was genuine!"

In his defense he truly was grateful to have someone in the tomb who was willing to say they trusted him but his tendency to bully Shalltear made his gratefulness seem more like mockery. At the very least the interaction between the two defused all of the tension in the room, watching Shalltear discipline him like a child seemed almost like a staged joke rather than a serious interaction, anyone who saw the admin as a serious threat before had a hard time believing it now.

"Well then, does anyone else have any concerns about our new addition that they'd like to mention now?"

Ainz took control of the situation once more, he hadn't expected her to hurt him but at least no one seemed ready to fight at a moment's notice, something he considered to be progress. A few moments of silence went by, or at least as much silence as they could have with the admin clutching his face and swearing quietly.

"If not then I'm making this an absolute order: Regardless of past events you are not to treat Shalltear as if she were any less trustworthy than before, things may have gotten out of control for some time but that is no longer our concern. As for our newly appointed advisor you are to treat him with the same respect you would treat each other, I openly invited his opinions into our discussions just as I do with the rest of you, it may be difficult to adjust but this is something worth overcoming if we are to establish our own kingdom."

For a moment all were silent, taking in the reality of the situation. The back and forth discussion was quick, informative, though not necessarily opinion changing, but they couldn't deny the orders of their king. Thus they voiced their acknowledgment in unison, trusting him was all they could do.

"So 'Tan', have you anything you'd like to add?"

"I'm good, just let me get over being shot in the face."

It sounded like a bluff but sure enough when he removed his hands there was a blatant red mark in the center of his head with a small stream of blood making its way down by his nose, anyone who thought the interaction had been nothing more than a joke suddenly found themselves fearing what an actual argument between the two could lead to, even Ainz was a bit hesitant to speak after seeing the wound.

"I see...Then for the sake of convenience I will ask that you relocate from the 'guest room' you've been staying in and find a new room on either the first, second or third floor."

"Did...Did you not just see her give me a minor concussion with her finger."

"Even still I do not trust you."

"So you don't trust me even though you trust her to trust me?"

"Would you rather continue living in the Re-Estize Kingdom being watched day and night by Solution and Sebas?"

There was no argument the admin could think of, honestly he should have been happy that he was receiving this much rather than a prison cell. Knowing that there would be no rebuttal Ainz continued.

"Because the two of you clearly have faith in one another this is the easiest way to get you acquainted without risk of being thrown outside due to your own curiosity."

The necromancer took a second to look between Tanabe and Albedo, a silent warning to not let it happen again.

"Until all of this blows over and I as well as the other guardians can say with certainty that you are not the suspicious troublemaker we all think you are, I'd like you to spend most of your time on those floors, if you feel the need to venture anywhere in or out of the tomb you will have to convince Shalltear first."

Right then Tanabe felt the need to roll his eyes, that was freedom without freedom, granted he only really wanted his own room where he could safely watch the chaos unfold but it still felt a bit insulting to have basically been appointed a babysitter. The only reason he didn't argue was that he was really in no position to complain, after that flick to the head he would have rather avoided annoying any of the other guardians, for now he had to take what he could get.

"Got it, boss, your house your rules."

He spoke in a somewhat disrespectful manner but surprisingly Ainz showed back courtesy he did not expect.

"Thank you or your cooperation. Today we are discussing very important matters, it is difficult to bring your situation in line with everything else we are working towards without causing more commotion than is necessary. After we are done I want to speak with you in private to hear your opinions as the new advisor, if you have an issue you'd like to address you can do it then."

And that was the closest Tanabe could expect to having Ainz show him good will amidst the chaos, the necromancer was still giving him a chance to make things a bit more reasonable.

"Gotcha…"

"Good. First things first, about that prisoner you captured."

"She's got a lot of fight in her, I'm gonna need at least a couple days to calm her down again."

 _A couple days!?_

That was an answer that left even more people confused, how strong could one insect be? The admin had already done a very good job of keeping her hidden, now he was asking for time to keep her away without mentioning a single thing about her or how he was hiding her, if Ainz hadn't already made it clear that he was allowed to speak freely Albedo or Aura might have voiced their concerns immediately.

"You see that ability she used to tear apart the palace was instant, restrained or not she could just as easily do the same thing right here and now if I let her out."

Ainz held out a hand, prompting him to stop.

"Say no more."

He understood the danger of the situation immediately, having seen with his own eyes just how much damage was caused. Whether or not the advisor was telling the truth was irrelevant, that chance was not worth taking. Just to be sure he made a side glance over to Shalltear who showed no sign of having heard a lie and decided it best to give the admin the few days he asked for, worst case scenario they could hold the discussion somewhere a bit more open like the coliseum.

"We'll save that interrogation for later, I require more information on these godkin, namely how many there are and locations if possible."

Tan gave a nod, he'd bought more time for himself to try and reason with Zesshi but it wasn't much, if she wasn't up to listen to him then it wouldn't be at all surprising for her to end up in Neuronist's clutches and the last thing he needed was her feeding them information that could put him in jeopardy.

"Now then, concerning our next move outside the tomb…Our next stepping stone is the Baharuth Empire, with it all of our efforts up until now will have finally bourne fruit."

Ainz stopped for a moment to accept the praise and recognition thrown his way, he'd almost missed being a celebrity in his own home.

"Soon me and Narberal will be departing once more to set our plans into motion but I would like to take some time to recuperate first, things have been progressing a bit too quickly and you all have earned some well deserved rest, for the time being we will conclude the meeting here."

With his closing statement the necromancer stood up from his throne and looked towards his new advisor.

"Now for our discussion."

"Is it necessary to make me feel like you have a gun to my head."

"As necessary as it is for you to walk around without a shirt."

Another sad sigh made it's way from Tan's mouth, speaking to the necromancer in private sure didn't sound like it would be all that comforting.

"Alright let's go, I'll pay Seashell back for this mark on my head later."

He got nothing but a scoff in reply from the vampire as he walked away, she readily accepted the chance to hurt him more if he decided to act out in front of her again, but that would come later as he said. She pivoted on her heel, hoping to leave the room as soon as possible, though Albedo was ready and waiting to intercept her.

"Excuse me, I'd like to borrow some of your time."

"No."

A nerve made itself clearly visible on the succubus' face, her smile still shining brightly in spite of the clear rejection she'd just received.

"Don't worry, Aura will be joining us as well, I have no ill intentions."

"In that case- No."

Another firm rejection, but it wouldn't get her anywhere, just like the admin she had a private meeting to attend now as well, they would push her out of the door if necessary.

"I. Fear. That. Talk. Will. Not. End. Well."

Cocytus found himself as the only one willing to voice his concern, he knew all too well what an unsupervised talk between the succubus and true vampire could amount to.

"I wait for the day that their words become actions."

"Th-That's horrible Demiurge!"

Mare was too innocent for his own good, there was enough discord with the admin around as is, hearing Demiurge promote a fight between guardians was almost enough to make him cry. He was one of the few people who had a hard time remembering that his colleague was a demon.

Next time is a continuation of Tatsu the Monster if you're interested in that.


	31. Three Fights

The eyes never lie.

Please Enjoy

"And well, that's kinda everything, the parts that matter anyway."

The red warrior finished his explanation after nearly an hour of talking, now getting the chance to sit back in his seat and let the skeleton king take in everything he'd just been told.

After a nerve wracking discussion in the throne room the two players made their way off to continue their talk in private, the giant round table in which the lich and his friends once sat at being the location for their private meeting. The first topic they settled upon was the one they'd used as an excuse to leave initially, a one on one debate regarding the newly appointed advisor's opinions on the state of the world, after which Ainz held true to his word and offered the other man the power to make any arrangements he wanted to make his life within the tomb more suited to his tastes, though he couldn't think of much. Once that was out of the way the two players set out towards addressing the elephant in the room: Namely their experiences that followed being put in a brand new world based on a videogame the both of them played almost religiously.

It started with a bit of reminiscing, the two sharing memories of their favorite activities, builds, even overall hours they'd put into the game. Then it got a bit more serious, their backgrounds, classes and affiliations being the focus. Needless to say Ainz became highly suspicious of the admin's attempts to keep his answers as vague as possible, and without much of an excuse to give Tan eventually decided to come clean and give out more details, after all he couldn't hope to just keep hiding information when his spot in the tomb was already guaranteed.

He was a server admin, not quite a full on developer but a member of the team nonetheless. Outside of the main responsibilities that came with the role he also enjoyed playing bad cop with those who found themselves on thin ice, which is where his connection to Peroroncino as well as his knowledge of the guild became clear. He didn't have many friends because he didn't want others trying to suck up to him for privileges and of course he often avoided most PvP based activities due to having a special class that others may have complained about.

This much should have been a huge reveal and for a moment Tanabe expected some kind of explosive reaction from the lich in front of him once he found out who he was talking to but no such response would come forth, instead Ainz seemed to expect it, something that only made the admin even more anxious. Maybe he was a bit too liberal with showing off his ring and the way it could break the world with minimal effort on his part, though there was also the simple fact that both Albedo and Demiurge caught hold of the word "Admin" quite some time ago and had since then shared their findings with the lich. Honestly if they hadn't realized his identity by now it would have been a massive oversight.

That being said even if Tan had been a little too obvious, most would think the king of the tomb would be at least a little nervous talking to an admin given how paranoid he was about the possibility of meeting other players in the past. Surprisingly though he wasn't even slightly bothered by that fact anymore, as far as he was concerned this was all just extra information, there were too many other things to worry about.

With the warrior's backstory filled out the only thing missing was the story of how he went from a nonexistent wannabe god to the hulk of metal and muscle he'd become so proud of, which of course was ridiculously hard to explain given the fact that he first met Shalltear whilst borrowing the body of someone else, then in her own subconscious and even more awkwardly during the time he spent as a little girl. It wasn't a fun thing to talk about, thinking back on it he only then realized how absurd the entire thing sounded from the outside, he did his best to explain things as they happened but found it hard to believe even his own words, all the while his accomplice simply sat and stared at him quietly from the other side of the table, making him feel as though not a single thing he said was being taken seriously.

After combing over all the important details he sat back in his chair, having come full circle and awaiting the lich's answer, hoping that Ainz would consider the story to be too outlandish to be made up, that even he wouldn't expect to get away with a tale like this if there wasn't at least some truth to it.

"And so...You designed a cursed knight but gave it the abilities of an assassin?"

Not exactly the hole he expected Ainz to poke in his story.

"I was aiming for an executioner kind of design, but I guess setting up to try and one-shot somebody in a one versus one does sound very assassin-like."

A moment of silence passed before the skeleton spoke up again.

"Not to mention the misdirection tactics and use of shadows."

"I'm still a knight, sheesh. It's not like I go into stealth and sneak up behind people. Besides, it's not a very practical build for a team player, no point in going for whatever was considered optimal when I play solo."

Gamer talk, the kind of thing that would have confused the guardians or just about anyone else who might have been listening in. It was hard to remember that there was both a nerd and true gamer behind that skeletal appearance but Tanabe could at the very least appreciate the other player's attempts at keeping the conversation somewhat casual to avoid unnecessary tension, the both of them already had enough of that for one day.

"Then I suppose our conversation is finished for today."

"Huh? You don't have anything else to ask?"

The admin expected fierce interrogation, for Ainz to simply accept what he'd heard and walk away without asking for more information was very much unlike him.

"There is a reason I used the words 'for today'. Your story has...Many avenues I'd like to take some time to myself and think about, not only that but I have a great number of things on my mind at the moment and you don't seem like you're all that eager to continue talking. Once another issue arises it will become necessary to consult my 'advisor' once again."

It was a logical response, there was no real argument to be had against it...But it was still hard to believe.

"You know I also mentioned that we could basically rule the world and shortcut all your plans with my ring. Not saying I want to do that but you're acting pretty casual about this."

The warrior hoped to make the connection in case Ainz for some reason saw no urgency in everything he'd just been told but his argument was ignored, the skeleton still seemed to have no interest in abusing a new asset.

"With that being said, I believe it is essential for the both of us to keep this information strictly between ourselves and Shalltear for the time being. I do not have much insight regarding my guardian's views of the world they once lived in nor the other supreme ones, but I do know that their prime concerns revolve around me and my decisions as their king, I'd like things to stay that way with how much I already ask of them."

"Huh...You really are a different person in private, I thought for sure you'd give me a speech about how we should be using our power to do all this and all that without taking the time to chill."

Another misunderstanding caused by circumstance, Tan had no way of knowing that Ainz really had no intention of going this far with his plans until his guardians opened their mouths and started preaching about him ruling the world.

"So...Just going to question my class choices like it's commonplace and move on? No evil plans or anything like that?"

"I am not sure what you expected but no, I do not plan to use you or your ring for my benefit, it's little more than a liability and given what happened with Shalltear I'd rather minimize your involvement with important issues as much as possible."

Ow. Having his ego stepped on and his expectations brushed aside was somehow more painful than the thought of being used like a pawn, Ainz was still above doing something like that and didn't seem to mind the possibility of having this new information go to waste.

"As for my inquiry on your class and abilities, I'd like to move this discussion to the Ampitheater."

The admins surprise was made known through his facial features.

"Why...?"

"Up until now I've only had the opportunity to test my skills in melee combat against those too weak to offer an adequate challenge or those who have a bias towards me, this is an opportunity I'd rather not let pass while the two of us are alone."

And like that, the mood changed drastically. Rather than confusion the knight actually felt a little offended that a mage, one who depended on summoning minions no less thought he could take the executioner in a private battle.

"Yeah...Sure, sounds like a good chance to stretch."

Easy to provoke and left with a chance to fight another player, a repeat of their fight in the Kingdom without the identity crisis. This time the skeleton wouldn't have a size advantage.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The women of Nazarick were a strange bunch, that much could be established from afar with relative ease, especially when they began to argue over who should claim the affection of their leader. Narberal Gamma would be a witness to one such occasion.

Thirty seconds, it took no more than that for the rosy atmosphere to peel away and for the tension between the floor guardians to reach the point of almost being killing intent. It was a scary sight for a bystander like Narberal but this wasn't anything new, the female floor guardians always had issues playing nice, Albedo and Aura got along just fine but the moment Shalltear was included things fell apart almost instantly.

"I simply find it strange that you would act in such a roundabout way, it is nothing worth drawing too much attention to."

Albedo did her best to keep a calm expression as she spoke, not wanting to infringe upon the rules Ainz had set in place about treating Shalltear as if she were suspicious.

"I would not doubt your judgement, I have no reason to draw ire towards your thoughts when Lord Ainz has insisted that they are to be trusted. I am just curious about your opinion of that man, you are of course the only one who can give us an idea of what he is truly like."

A reasonable request, even if the red warrior wasn't to be treated as an enemy it didn't diminish anyone else's suspicions about him, thus this much was to be expected. Shalltear, however didn't see much reason to answer questions.

"If you're so curious then you should talk to him yourself."

"I would love to but unfortunately he, like you is not very cooperative."

There were more than a few times already in which the admin found very easy ways to provoke Albedo with his sarcastic humor. At the very least there should have been a chance that even Shalltear would be easier to talk to, right?

"That is unfortunate for you."

Wrong, she was just as unwilling to indulge in the topic, which only made the situation even worse. Desperate, Albedo turned to Aura for help, though she fared no better.

"I think Albedo might be right, it's gonna be hard trying to work with a man who won't tell us anything and continue to play dumb."

"Have you considered the possibility that he is just dumb?"

"Well he had to be at least kinda smart if he could talk you out of strutting about with a fake chest."

That was an unnecessary comment, and it had consequences: Shalltear went from a simple frown to looking like she was about to explode, her cheeks puffing up and turning a deep red while her eyebrows arched inwards, almost like a child about to throw a tantrum. These kinds of interactions happened often between the two but there was no time to break up a fight and seeing the incoming disaster Albedo cut in to try and resolve the conflict before it began.

"What she means to say is that the situation is very delicate and we'd like to have some reassurance from you."

Those words did less than nothing.

"And we feel comfortable asking you about this as fellow guardians."

The vampire's scowl began to falter.

"We'd also prefer not to bother Lord Ainz after he's made his declaration, we only have each other to talk to about this for now."

That much was just enough to defuse the bomb. Shalltear let out a sigh, her features returning to normal. As exasperating as it was to talk to these women they still had a point, she owed them the thoughts she could not convey in the throne room.

"Look, that man may seem like he's pretending to be a fool hiding a grand scheme of some kind but honestly...He's just a fool, there is nothing else to it, if he's being difficult when you talk to him then it is because he chooses to do so for his own convenience. Given how most of my talks with him go I assume he behaves this way just because it's funny to him, not because he's hiding something."

That was a bitter thing to hear, if what Shalltear was saying was true then it meant that the admin had been making a fool out of them for fun and their fear of what he could accomplish was nothing but their own paranoia getting to them.

"And...You would associate with such a man?"

"Unless you haven't noticed I never had much of an option, listening to him has been the only thing I could do that didn't seem like it would obviously cost me the trust of Lord Ainz. Not only that but he's explained to me a few things about myself and the other supreme ones that I'm grateful to know, even if it does kill my enthusiasm to do much of anything."

That statement sounded promising at first but ended off on a somewhat sour note, a guardian who lacked the enthusiasm to serve sounded like a liability, though the others wouldn't voice that opinion.

"I understand, then I hope your relationship blossoms and the two of you make each other happy."

First Aura and now Albedo was making jabs at her situation, really the two of them were just begging for a fight at this point.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Is it not safe to assume that your reluctance to speak about your feelings for Lord Ainz is due to a change of heart involving that man?"

Shalltear's response was not the angry yelling Albedo expected, rather there was more stuttering and awkward facial expressions to match, even a twitching eyelid. The vampire herself had a hard time even processing what she was told, it was hard to decide whether or not she should punch the succubus in the face or bring out her lance and skip straight to trying to impale her.

"Narberal, I think we're going to need help."

Aura already knew it was too late to stop the two from fighting, also that the two of them wouldn't be enough to break them up.

"Understood, I shall inform Lord Ai-"

"On second thought, let's just go find Cocytus! He's big enough to get between them without getting skewered!"

"I understand."

With that the two fled the scene, allowing the second battle within the tomb to begin.

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With the princess returning safely and news of a temporary truce between nations being set in place the people of the Re-Estize Kingdom were given a bright glimmer of hope to focus their attention on, hope that overshadowed any battles to be fought in the foreseeable future. Busy streets, people crowding the markets and stores, yes the fortress city had certainly rebounded from the once glum atmosphere that took hold just days before.

"Almost feels like nothing ever went wrong, doesn't it?"

An old woman spoke up as she glanced outside, taking in the commotion of a rejuvenated city.

"You know a sight like this makes me think about how this place looked twenty years ago...Maybe you were right in saying the world never changes."

Rigrit's voice was hoarse, a testament to the shouting match that had taken place just hours prior. Her conversation with Platinum had already left her in a sour mood, a feeling that only got worse when paired with the paranoia that came with knowing there was a continent-wide conspiracy revolving around an undead with the power to kill them all.

In her rush to find out any usable information she set out to find her old team immediately, not even bothering to send word ahead of time about her arrival, and managing to get all the way there overnight. Luckily for her the girls were not only easy to find but had also already gathered together and were having their own little discussion. This was an excellent opportunity, she could make it seem like a coincidental run in, have a chat with some old friends while she just so happened to be in the area.

Unfortunately they did not have the fun little reunion she'd been hoping for.

The catching up and reminiscing only lasted so long, and by the time the talk got serious again Rigrit finally began to understand why her scaly friend was so hesitant to seek help. The first big arguing point was that the story the group of women told her of their exploits did not match up even slightly with what she'd learned to be fact, actually with the way they spoke it'd be hard to believe there was another group involved with the mission at all. The dark warrior and his team? Seemingly dead weight when compared with everything Blue Roses had to deal with, which should have been impossible if those were indeed the world ending players she knew they were. There was no way things had happened as they'd described it, which means it was already too late to try getting help from them…

Frustrating. This was exactly what that old dragon had predicted, that the people of the nation might have already been under the enemy's thumb. Her prime reason for coming this far had been crushed in record time, it probably wasn't even worth it to try explaining the truth to them, but she couldn't simply walk away as if she hadn't heard anything so she played along for a bit longer.

Then before she could even attempt to slide away, the point of interest that started the actual shouting match and what had brought the women together in the first place was mentioned: Evileye was leaving the team, and without a suitable explanation to boot. One could easily imagine how the rest took the news, especially the overthinking elder among them.

This is what led to the questionable situation they were in now, the two oldest members of the group stuck in a room together in a stalemate. Between Gargaran's taunts, the twins' indifference and Lakyus' attempts to be a supportive friend the initial conversation broke down all too fast, the only reason it hadn't escalated into a fight was due to Rigrit's own quick thinking: She would try to figure out what exactly caused this change of heart in their teammate, perhaps even discover some actually useful information. If anyone could get through that minefield in the Theocracy without being influenced by someone else's power it had to be Evileye, right? She would learn not to get her hopes up.

"You've been around much longer than the rest of us and even you have a hard time changing who you are, I suppose being immortal has its own share of trivialities."

Rigrit had been talking like this for awhile now, with the commotion between them having died down all that was left was trying to salvage whatever was left of their relationship in hopes of preventing the vampire from leaving.

"I know what really happened out there, if something or someone is forcing you to leave I'd appreciate knowing the truth so i can help."

Bold words but still not enough to convince her friend of anything.

"I've been here for long enough, I don't want to stay and be part of the country's downfall."

Despite the "success" in the Theocracy the vampire still spoke of the nation's demise as if it were happening soon enough that she needed to evacuate, as if some disaster could strike any day.

"Given our agreement I thought you'd stick around a little longer instead of running off again. I thought you liked having others you could trust."

That bet of theirs was history now, honestly Rigrit hadn't even expected it to last this long but since they all got along so well she'd hoped that the vampire would find some comfort in society again. For awhile the women all seemed to genuinely enjoy each other's company, it was heartbreaking to see a division like this come up so suddenly.

"Me trusting them is exactly why I don't want to be here when things change."

Rigrit furrowed a brow, now both suspicious and insulted.

"What kind of backwards logic is that? That should be a reason to stay and support them rather than go off on your own for a reason you refuse to tell us."

"You're one to talk, shouldn't you be retired and worrying about yourself?"

Another frustrating answer. This is exactly why Platinum kept to himself, exactly why he hardly trusted anyone, exactly why he gave her an item to protect herself on this trip, he knew that it was a doomed expedition from the start.

"Fine."

This was a waste of time, that much she'd learned quite fast. Two different vampires simultaneously being as difficult as possible to those they found in their company

"I don't know why you're following...Whoever that is but I want you to know that the people you're leaving behind would never turn their back on you, consider that before you run off on a whim."

It wasn't like her to be so spiteful but to say she felt a bit betrayed would be an understatement, thus she was sure to make her disapproval known as she left Evileye behind to contemplate her actions. Slamming the door was a nice touch too, albeit immature.

"I'm sorry ma'am did something bad happen?"

And of course the outburst attracted some attention, a servant waiting just outside the door, staring directly at Rigrit as she made her way out. A maid wasn't exactly out of place in an inn so Rigrit paid her no mind.

"No, just had an argument with an old friend, sorry if I made too much noise."

"I understand, please excuse me then."

"Mhm."

Rigrit moved past the woman and made her way towards the door, ignoring the stare she received along the way. There was too much going wrong in her life right now and her now apparent falling out with Evileye was the exact opposite of what she was hoping for. She needed allies, and she knew exactly where to look.

"Sebas."

The maid spoke up.

"Yes, Solution. That woman may prove troublesome."

"Should I eliminate her now?"

A small grin crept onto her face at the thought.

"No, Lord Ainz forbids unnecessary killing. I will accompany miss Keeno for the time being, you may follow her older friend and keep an eye on her. Find out who she is and if she is a threat then report back, we will decide what to do then."

"I understand."

The slime girl then split from the butler, making absolutely sure that she would not be detected as she pursued her new target.

Rigrit had come with hope in her eyes but left defeated, now she may have found herself in the worst possible situation, one could only hope the item her friend gave her would be enough for her to escape without being eaten alive.

Trying extra hard not to make a Rigrit/Regret pun.


	32. Tan VS Ainz

Djgniebgyguer

Please Enjoy

"You ready yet? Nothing's gonna change by altering your loadout."

Tan stretched and let out a yawn, he'd initially followed Ainz into the Amphitheater ready for nothing short of a death battle, but his enthusiasm had slowly been driven out by impatience. The skeleton was using the encounter as more of a learning opportunity rather than an actual test of his skills, meaning he took his sweet time getting ready. Ainz spent some minutes getting changed into a simple outfit that covered the bottom half of his body but left his top side bare, mimicking the same style that the warrior across from him wore, then he spent a little while longer organizing the few weapons he was actually able to lift and swing. It didn't take too long but ten minutes of waiting around was all it took for the dragonkin to start complaining.

"For someone so busy you don't seem too eager to get started, you made the decision to kill off Seashell faster than this."

He got a side glare from mentioning that grim point in history, he'd hoped that his comment would annoy the lich enough to spark some form of aggression.

"Fortunately this situation is far less serious than that was. Also you should know that I spared no free time coming up with a strategy to defeat her, this much is only natural, after all it would be a waste of an opportunity to simply pick up a weapon and start swinging at you mindlessly."

Ainz however was unbothered by his companion's disposition, carefully raising a sword and shield and throwing a few practice swings before speaking again.

"My choice in weapons is also limited, this is the best I can do for now."

"I'm surprised you can swing a sword at all, class restrictions made it impossible for me to use a staff as anything more than a hitting stick."

"Yes, I don't believe you'd be able to do much more than that."

A response like that didn't do much to offset the warrior's impatience.

"Somehow I feel like you're insulting me. You wanna try stopping a surprise attack? Test your blocking skills?"

A threat with a simplistic meaning: He was going to attack soon regardless of whether or not his opponent was ready.

"If that is your plan then I will not need this."

Ainz tossed the shield to the side and faced the warrior again, this time with a very basic looking sword as his only ally. As one would expect Tan was quick to take the action as a sign of confidence.

"NO shield? Really? That's pretty confident don't you think?"

"I doubt a shield would stop your attacks or even cushion the impact, in this situation it is more a weapon for you than defense for me."

A spiteful 'hmph' was all the reply Ainz would get after that ,there was no real counterargument to his rationality.

With the formalities said and done the two could finally initiate their little battle unabated.

The first to move was obviously the one who'd gotten sick of waiting, Tan was able to close the distance and throw a punch with speed that betrayed his size, having traveled half the length of the arena in the time it took his opponent to raise his weapon. Despite this Ainz was able to dodge that first attack, taking a step back and focusing his efforts on keeping a stable position. Then another punch came.

And another, and another, and even more after that.

The assault was relentless and even if his opposition wasn't armed Ainz knew that he could not afford to take a hits freely, thus he continued to watch carefully and dodge the attacks as they came, sticking to the basics and not allowing himself to be drawn in by his opponent's lack of defense.

"Not going to fight back? If you want to practice dodges then I think the bug man with four arms would be able to throw more swings at a time."

The taunt rang through the fury as a distraction but Ainz managed to keep his cool.

"Cocytus will avoid harming me if he can help it, he will not use his full speed unless I order him to, which would defeat the purpose."

"Well if speed isn't a problem there's always this."

Tan stopped for a moment and allowed Ainz to regain his balance before lunging forward and throwing a punch down towards his feet. With the angle of attack being obvious Ainz was able to dodge it quite easily, what he wasn't ready for however was the ensuing shockwave that launched him backwards once the warrior's fist made contact with the ground. If speed wasn't the issue then he would use raw power instead.

"That blow was several times more powerful than the ones you were throwing before."

The skeleton had no choice but to acknowledge the sudden increase in power as he got up, he hadn't considered the possibility of someone letting loose that level of physical force with just their fists.

"Already forget? I'm an executioner, all my abilities are made to one-shot squishy targets like you. Let me just say that it would be far worse if I was holding a weapon."

His boast wasn't at all an exaggeration, the reason he'd felt no need to use any gear himself was because he had an overwhelming advantage in power even without it.

"So, you wanna keep going or…"

"Yes, let's continue."

The warrior was a bit surprised to receive such an instant reply.

"You know I have dozens of little tricks like that, you might get hit and miss what happened."

"I'm counting on it."

A sly smirk came to the face of the warrior, that's exactly the attitude he was hoping for.

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The true vampire and succubus had been simply waiting for an opportunity to battle it out amongst themselves when their beloved leader wasn't watching. Today had become just that, although things had begun to spiral out of control.

Once the two got sick of insulting one another the conflict escalated straight into a hitting match for which there was no clear winner. Albedo as a tank was naturally resilient to most if not all forms of injury while her own damage output was naturally lower than your average DPS class, what damage she was able to put out though was being almost completely mitigated by Shalltear's healing, and as a result their standoff very quickly became a stalemate.

As could be expected this only frustrated the two more. Not being able to hurt the person in front of them only managed to make them even more aggressive, more violent. The fight should have ended right then, but instead they were left to continue, meaning the conflict only got worse and worse until someone could step in to stop them.

"Well, this has been very entertaining but if the two go any further then our home and those within may be at risk."

Demiurge spoke up first amongst the spectators, he'd been sitting on a nearby bench with Cocytus and Mare, legs crossed and grinning almost ear to ear. Conflict like this was far more amusing than what any human prisoners could provide.

"Demiurge you should really stop encouraging this! Lord Ainz would be very upset to know we're fighting amongst ourselves."

Mare, the second spectator had been worried and looking for an excuse to intervene since the start, though he was too meek to stop a fight on his own. He and Cocytus both had been brought along to help calm things down but had been talked out of doing so by Demiurge, who insisted that it would be good for the women to release pent up frustration from past events. In a way he had a point, though Mare had slowly become convinced that his fellow guardian's true purpose was to receive some form of entertainment rather than help anyone. Regardless, enough was enough, he wanted the fighting to end as soon as possible and luckily Demiurge had begun to feel the same way.

"Alright Cocytus, it's as Mare says, Lord Ainz would indeed disapprove of this behavior. Would you care to try calming them down?"

"I. Will. Do. My. Best."

Cocytus was the most physically capable of the three, having him stand in the way sounded like a reasonable strategy. Within moments he'd landed between the warring guardian's right as Shalltear initiated an offense and grabbed her arm, firmly stopping her assault.

"Halt."

A simple command, a means to stop his fellow guardian. Given his affinity for combat this was the best he could do without throwing his own attacks, it had been enough to stop Sebas, so it should enough to at least hinder Shalltear. Unfortunately he would learn that strategy only worked in that situation due to Sebas' reluctance as well as the presence of their king, it was nowhere near enough to stop an enraged Shalltear.

"Move."

He received a simple command himself as an answer, but rather than waiting to see what he'd do, the true vampire took it upon herself to make it a reality by thrusting her lance into the ground below him and slashing upwards in a full arc, flinging cocytus into the air behind her. He hadn't been ready for that sort of retaliation, it was easy to forget that Shalltear had a lot more strength than her small frame would lead others to believe.

A failed intervention was bad enough but it managed to get even worse, after Cocytus' failure Shalltear was once again prepared to charge ahead recklessly, though her opponent was much closer than before. Albedo saw the opening that came from his actions and managed to close up the distance in those few moments, catching her opponent off guard and opening up an opportunity to land a clean hit to the vampire's face immediately after she'd chucked the bug man away, the axe leaving a gruesome looking gash in its wake.

That was the last straw. The cut healed instantly, of course, but the sheer fact that it happened only managed to make an already pissed off girl absolutely livid. Even Demiurge wouldn't have an excuse for this. Immediate action had become necessary.

"Oh dear, Mare we should help him."

Mare didn't need anymore direction than that, he'd sprung up from his seat and ran over to help Cocytus almost instantly whilst Demiurge made his way directly towards the one's fighting, being cautious not to repeat his colleague's mistake by carelessly grabbing onto one of them.

"Cocytus, are you okay?"

"I. Am. Unharmed."

As comedic as it looked, the little boy was able to help his giant friend to his feet and pull him along, it would take all three of them to stop this now.

The battle didn't last much longer after that. Shalltear was able to knock Albedo to the floor but the moment she attempted to stab her grounded opponent a vine rose from the ground and pulled at her lance, stopping the attack before it could happen.

"Mare, you-"

Before the vampire could even manage to throw out an insult the environment betrayed her again. This time the ground on which she was standing crumbled under her feet, forcing her off balance. Mare's magic had quite a useful amount of utility in situations like this, the moment Shalltear lost her footing Cocytus was able to move in, this time attacking from a blind spot, using his upper arms to restrain those of the true vampire's, then wrapping his lower arms around her torso whilst the ground tightened around her feet, immobilizing her completely.

Demiurge then took his chance to advance on Albedo, but he was smart enough to avoid openly approaching his quarry like Cocytus had done, instead he waited for her to try attacking the now immobilized Shalltear and swipe the weapon from her hands when she least expected it. It was nothing more than a sly trick but luckily Albedo was not nearly as hot-headed as the vampire across from her, this little disruption was more than enough to halt her aggression entirely.

The intervention had been a success, now they each needed some time to collect their bearings, especially Shalltear who had to convince Cocytus that she was calm and that he could let her go.

"That was unexpected. I never imagined a brawl between the two of you would progress this far, perhaps to the use of weapons but never so far as intentionally causing injury to one another."

Demiurge used his index finger to push his glasses up as he spoke, he would have loved to give a lecture right about now but he knew that he was at fault for letting things get out of hand.

"Fortunately this was a good lesson for each of us, had this battle happened in front of Lord Ainz…"

He didn't need to finish that statement, Ainz had warned against conflict like this many times for this very reason. Compared to how badly things could've gone this was nothing more than a mishap, something they could all learn to prevent in the future.

"I understand that I let my animosity get the better of me."

Albedo tried to speak up and get her opinion on the matter out in the open but she didn't have much of a follow up to that statement, the suspicion and anger and jealousy had forced her to act out of line but she knew that wasn't an excuse.

"Shalltear, let's avoid that topic from here on out, I don't believe it is a risk worth taking, not when the two of us are at odds so often."

She tried to be responsible now, though it didn't dissolve any of the open hostility Shalltear was clearly letting off, instead she received nothing more than a spiteful huff in response before the true vampire turned her back and walked away. The fight had ended but it did nothing for their egos, only time would tell when the two would clash again.

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 _Left. Right. Right. Uppercut. Special._

Ainz chanted the commands over and over in his head, if there was anything he learned from his time in PvP back in Yggdrasil it was how to adapt. The most important aspect of fighting a warrior class was to understand their rhythm, if you could figure out their pattern of attack then you could very easily figure out what attacks would be coming and dodge them accordingly, a skill that proved invaluable to a mage like himself. His habit of throwing matches early on in order to formulate a strategy hadn't failed him in the past and it now proved to be no exception when dealing with the man in front of him today.

But of course, the formula wasn't perfect. Every so often he would still manage to take a hit, even if he knew exactly what would be thrown at him that didn't change the fact that his opponent was both stronger and faster than him, not to mention the inherently superior reflexes that warrior types were bestowed with. It was a rough transition learning to take on a more skilled opponent who could defeat him unarmed but the experience was worth it.

It was good to see he hadn't gotten rusty after all that time on the throne worrying about politics, but he didn't have the luxury of taking any time to think when his opponent had seemingly infinite stamina. With how much time he spent running Ainz began to liken this experience with a game he played before Yggdrasil, an extremely difficult one in which taking even a single hit could get you killed. That game too was quite popular for it's time, the exceedingly punishing combat system having earned both praise and rage from gamers of all ages. But there was no time to reminisce about that.

An unexpected attack made its debut. He dodged again, this time from a rare kick, and then a roll to avoid the stomp that followed.

The lich steadied himself after getting to his feet then pressed forward, doing his best to land even a scratch on his opponent, though Tan simply brushed the blade away with his bare hand and continued his assault unimpeded.

A lackluster offensive wouldn't get him anywhere, he needed a more direct way to get an attack in, a moment in which he could put all his might behind a blow that would count, otherwise the sword was just dead weight slowing him down in his dodge practice. Luckily Ainz had long since thought of a method to get the chance he needed.

 _Now to turn the tables._

He dodged a few more attacks, slowly biding his time, allowing his opponent to push him backwards. He was baiting a trap, one that didn't go unnoticed.

"That was a pretty good dodge, but you kinda cornered yourself."

Tan spoke up for the first time in awhile, he'd been enjoying the one-sided bullying almost too much, enough so that he'd been disregarding almost all the actions Ainz took to protect himself in favor of just swinging wildly, after all he didn't feel that he was in any danger.

"I do not need any extra space, I will counter your next attack from here without running away. Having my back to a wall changes nothing."

Bold words. Extremely bold words. A sensible man would see this as the reg flag that it was and be more careful in their approach but Tanabe wouldn't bother thinking that way, his pride wouldn't allow him to seriously see a mage without magic as a threat to his well-being. Thus he was happy to oblige, continuing his assault without much hesitation.

 _Left._

The skeleton dodged the swing flawlessly without moving his feet from the ground, allowing the fist to fly by and shatter the wall behind him before lunging forward himself, launching straight into the face of his opponent.

Inches away from one another, this was the most dangerous spot he could be in against his barehanded opponent, but it did not faze him in the slightest.

 _And then, obviously, a right._

The warrior would indeed throw out his other hand whilst he retracted the other, after all his enemy was as close as could be, a decisive blow would easily send the skeleton straight into the bleachers.

But it wouldn't hit. Rather than go for the very obvious overhead swing or straightforward thrust with his blade, Ainz instead went for a different gamble, flipping the sword around in his hands and sending the pommel of the sword's hilt straight into the one spot he knew would be vulnerable: The red mark in the center of the warrior's forehead, the painful memento left by Shalltear.

That's when everything went white for the red warrior, a few moments when he was completely stunned, when his movements froze and he stopped breathing entirely. That spot already hurt to the touch, the force of Ainz's blow was nearly enough to knock him unconscious on the spot. For just a few moments he was paralyzed, pain and confusion being the only thing he felt as his senses slowly returned to him.

And then came the slash, the decisive blow Ainz had gambled on. A diagonal cut across the chest, the largest and most damaging cut he could possibly make without just going for the throat. It was shallow, not even enough to really bleed, just a visible red line.

But, dangerous or not it was proof of his success, he'd landed a decisive blow that in most cases would have killed his opponent.

The moment of silence and shock that came afterwards would last quite a while. Tan hadn't expected Ainz to do anything more than run, an actual attack of any kind would have just bounced off of him normally and even then it would be chalked up to his carelessness, this however wasn't just carelessness, Ainz found a weakness and exploited it, he couldn't very well pretend that the Necromancer had just gotten lucky, as a matter of fact it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to say that Ainz could technically be proclaimed the winner of their duel right then…

...

Laughter. Laughter was the sound to break their silence. Tan was angry, exceedingly so, yet he laughed, knowing very well that he could only blame himself for not taking the sorcerer seriously, he should of known just as well as anyone else just how crafty Ainz could be. Being outsmarted really upset him.

"Welp, that was a good one, I didn't see it coming at all, I thought for sure you'd jump up on my shoulders and stab me in the eyes or something dumb like that."

His friendly tone betrayed how he really felt.

"But I guess I can't treat you like a noob and just throw these sloppy attacks at you anymore now can I? Maybe now I should use a weapon too."

Oh yes, he wouldn't allow things to stand as they were, he couldn't go on just throwing his fists at the skeleton now whilst he made up more plans. Unfortunately Ainz did not feel the same way.

"No thank you, I think that'll do for today."

The smile vanished after he heard that.

"Excuse you, I just got serious like you wanted."

"I have been serious since the start, there is no point to me risking a reckless injury in a field that I lack experience in."

And now there was a frown.

"Are you really gonna run now? Seriously?"

His frustration wasn't taken into account, Ainz was already back in his usual garb, the sword having been replaced with the golden staff after which he was named.

"Really then…"

The warrior was upset, more so than he'd been in that cavern beneath the Theocracy. Then that very thought gave him an idea.

"Well, since you want to run off after I got done warming up I guess I'll have to find another sparring partner."

"I recommend you stay here if you wish to practice, I will not have any unnecessary destruction happening outside."

"Oh no, of course not. Since destruction is the problem and I got plenty of free space in here, I'm thinking I might let my friend out."

That got the lich's attention and another sly smile came to the warrior's face. He couldn't let things end that way, no, in the heat of the moment he'd decided on something far more interesting. It would be a burden that he would soon regret, but in this moment he found that he couldn't care less, not over the immediate satisfaction of scaring the necromancer half to death, pun intended.

And so he let Zesshi Zetsumei out into Nazarick.


	33. Another Bad Idea

Honestly I'm not super happy with this chapter which is why I took so long to upload it but I couldn't really get my ideas out the way I wanted to. But here it is nonetheless.

Please Enjoy

 _The bigger they are, the harder they fall._

It was a simple yet popular phrase with a meaning that even a child could grasp...And yet this was the first time Tanabe had ever contemplated the meaning of that phrase in a literal sense. Mere seconds after setting Zesshi into the arena he was treated to viewing the world from multiple different angles, courtesy of a sweep that sent him tumbling through the air.

A woman half his size was able to topple him before he could even tell if she was healthy enough to stand on her own. Then, before he could formulate another coherent thought he was thrown into the floor and things went dark. Landing on his head was far worse without a helmet or tiny vampire to help break the fall.

"So, you are the godkin."

Ainz's voice was the first thing he recognized as his senses returned to him. He could tell that he'd only been out for a second but that didn't do much to ease his conscious. A new feeling had overcome him for the first time since reawakening. Shame.

This was the SECOND time he'd been put in this situation, the second time he'd been rendered helpless for a precious few seconds mid-combat in the same day, no, within the same hour. As if getting tapped in the face by a skeleton with a butter knife wasn't bad enough he'd now met the same fate against someone who was supposed to be his prisoner, one could only imagine how Zesshi would have taken advantage of that time had she not been distracted by the grim aura emanating from the lich in front of her now.

"I can already tell that he was not exaggerating about your strength."

Ainz started up another one of his speeches but Tan heard none of it, too lost in his own thoughts to even think of listening. Instead he carefully rose to his feet, thankful that at the very least he didn't feel nauseated or off balance, common symptoms of head injury.

Then without warning he cut the conversation between the half elf and lich short by sending his fist straight into the former at full force, sending her flying fast enough that even Ainz was shocked at how violently she crashed into the side of the arena.

That was the start of a long and bloody fight, that is if you could call the one sided abuse Zesshi received a "fight".

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"Your furniture is really comfortable, I want one of these in my room."

Tan spoke out as he took a seat, trying to start a conversation for, by his count the fifth time since stepping foot into Shalltear's bedroom, though neither of the women present responded to his comment.

"Not sure I like this color though...Maybe blue or black instead."

He ran his fingers along the velvety surface of the couch, despite his casual manner of speech and friendly demeanor it was obvious that he had a hard time getting his thoughts in order...And the cold shoulder he was receiving wasn't making it any better.

Four days. That was how long it had been since his sparring practice with the king of the tomb himself, just a measly four days...It seemed like such a short time but for a person with enough gaming experience to understand the rollercoaster of emotions one could be put through in just half an hour, four days felt like nearly an eternity.

And of course he could blame no one but himself.

Letting Zesshi loose was well within the top ten questionable decisions he'd made since being reincarnated, even as he looked back on it now, he could think of very few things that crossed the line when it came to the madness he'd brought with him to Nazarick: The first had to be stabbing Shalltear after getting his body back, a blunder he considered the worst thing he'd done to date even if it did get them out of their predicament in one piece. Aside from that he could likely be blamed for the world war bubbling on the horizon and of course making an enemy of nearly everyone in the tomb certainly didn't help his chances.

Those were the things he would surely regret, but still nothing that made him seem like a COMPLETE villain...Well maybe being responsible for the deaths of thousands in the upcoming war but other than that, nothing else came to mind.

The chaos that ensued from his most recent venture however, while tame by comparison was still something that'd landed him in what was basically glorified detention on the second floor. His "relationship" with Zesshi had been violent from the start but this was the first time he'd seriously tried to hurt her aside from the time he accidentally slammed her through the floor in that palace, but that attack was well deserved.

As could be expected Ainz wouldn't tolerate extreme violence that threatened to destroy everything around him so he put a stop to it as soon as he could. Ten minutes worth of time led to a nearly destroyed ampitheater. The king's response to this event would be the obvious one: Break the two up and then keep them apart. Now the red menace was confined to a single floor. The only thing he could do aside from sitting around trying to talk to "Taco" was paying a short visit to Shalltear who resided on the same floor. The problem? She was lying face down in bed and didn't respond to a thing he said. Even now as he casually elaborated on his thoughts of interior decorating the only thing that let him know he wasn't alone was the occasional glance at the one other person in the room with them, Shalltear's personal assistant, the vampire bride Julia.

"Are you feeling alright, Sir...Tan, was it?"

And she was the first to give him a reason to keep talking.

"Oh no, I'm fine, how about you?"

He immediately gave the polite answer in response, a reflex trained from his old life. Julia did not bother to reply however, it was clear that the bride only spoke to him out of courtesy, not to strike up a conversation.

"Right...Uh, nevermind. Anyway how long has Seashell just been in bed like this?"

He redirected the topic back to the immobile true vampire, now knowing that idle chatter wouldn't get him anywhere.

"This is the fourth day, sir."

The concern she held for her mistress compelled the bride to ignore the little nickname and answer him immediately, much to the surprise of the warrior across the room. The cooperation was welcome but still disheartening, he'd expected a few hours, not a few days.

"Four days…"

He let out a sigh as his thoughts came back to that number, the same amount of time he'd spent lamenting his decisions. He wouldn't be surprised if he was the cause of her being bedridden, maybe his rash decisions made her look bad after she claimed to have some trust in him.

That thought made him grimace, the last thing he wanted was to drag her even further down with him because of his childish behavior, he'd done enough of that already.

"So Seashell, you hiding in here because of me or did something else happen while I wasn't paying attention?"

 _Might as well try asking her directly...If it's my fault then a spiteful grunt or sarcastic reply will give it away immediately_

But she wouldn't be the one to give him an answer, the bundle of sheets didn't even move to show some form of acknowledgement.

"I believe her and the other guardians have been at odds, otherwise she has simply been feeling unwell since returning home."

Julia chirped in instead, giving a vague and otherwise disposable answer, but it was enough to clear Tan's worry. He was relieved. Being able to blame someone else for Shalltear's condition felt like a breath of fresh air, he may have been responsible for her general depression but at least he wasn't the only one giving her trouble.

"Ah yes, I know how it must feel to be in her shoes right about now."

His confidence restored, he rose from his comfy seating and strolled toward the large bed in the center of the room, continuing his speech as he went.

"Existential crisis followed by self destructive behavior and loss of motivation...Where I'm from everyone goes through that at a relatively young age. Hm, I sound old when I say that, don't I?"

His manner of speaking had gone from reserved to pompous in an instant, reminiscing about those troubled times while dealing with puberty in school was a nightmare, a nightmare he knew just about any other youth of his generation could relate to.

"Eventually though you have to grow up and live with the uneasiness and anxiety forever, as is considered normal."

He approached the bed, taking in the sight of Shalltear, she was nothing more than a lump of sheets, a little bit of shining hair visible from a hole near the top. A little push and her head was free from the binding, though her face was still pressed into a pillow. She looked more like a sad child than a genuinely depressed individual.

"Though I'm not sure that applies here, you all seem pretty adultlike, even Aura and Mare are older than me."

The warrior shared the last of his thoughts then went quiet for a little while before speaking again. His little lecture was meant to sound like enlightened wisdom but obviously it held no real meaning to the guardian and bride he occupied the room with, in fact no one in the tomb would likely care enough about that topic to take him seriously.

"So…"

He'd finished examining the true vampire and took another glance at her accomplice who was still staring at him, red orbs fixated on his figure but with no clear intent, just cold observation. It made him shiver.

"Off-topic question, are all the brides related or do you all just look very similar?"

Another bad attempt at trying to break through the awkwardness, Julia's response was little more than a bow and a polite apology for not being able to answer him truthfully.

"Uh huh...Well...Back to Seashell then!"

He hadn't learned his lesson the first time but he sure did now, trying to bully the brides would likely end in nothing more than silence and him being creeped out by their staring, instead he would stick to the one vampire whom he knew would give him the reaction he was hoping for.

He started with a poke, the simplest and most effective way to get someone's attention. He jabbed his finger into the true vampire's cheek, not caring to mind the claw at his fingertip. It was just that simple, a few pokes here and there, maybe a flick to the ear, a relentless attempt to bother the true vampire as much as possible.

He only needed to do this for a minute or so, after which he found his hand being slapped away and a very angry vampire turning her head to glare at him.

"What do you want?"

The sound of her mistress' voice was enough to give Julia chills despite being an undead, who in their right mind would ever even think to disturb her in this manner?

"Glad you decided to join us!"

The obnoxiously cheerful reply reminded her of exactly who would think to do something so dangerous; The same man who so casually refused to show their overlord the respect he deserved.

"Again, what do you want?"

Shalltear made her annoyance clear, sitting up on her bed and swinging her legs off the side as if she were just getting up for the day. She was still wearing shoes, in fact she was still completely dressed, as if she'd collapsed onto her bed and buried herself in the sheets as soon as she got to her room.

"Well I was hoping to have a conversation with my best buddy."

Tan answered in a tone that irked the bride, blatant disrespect was one thing but now he was acting far too familiar. Her dismay would only be matched by horror when she realized that Shalltear didn't seem to care very much about how he spoke to her.

"I'm not in the mood to discuss your living arrangements if that's what you mean, just pick a room and the rest will be sorted out later."

She didn't even bat an eye at his words and their conversation continued without pause.

"Cute, but not what I meant."

"Then this is definitely about your awkward need to find and play with Entoma at every given opportunity."

"NO!"

An abrupt shout from the man in question caught both vampires off guard, he didn't often raise his voice and he certainly never seemed to get embarrassed or feel ashamed of himself. The ensuing silence only made him seem guilty. He cleared his throat quietly before trying his best to pull the conversation back on track.

"I just like talking to Entoma because her voice is the cutest thing I've ever heard, but that has nothing to do with why I'm here, I actually had something serious to talk about today."

He trailed off for a bit, making sure he wouldn't say anything to make himself sound even more suspicious.

"I'm just...Not havin' a good day either. To be honest with you I'm kinda regretting the fact that I let Zesty live."

He plopped down on the bed next to the Shalltear, letting out a sigh as he considered what he'd just said. He wasn't ruthless enough to kill someone without good reason and Zesshi's maniacal behavior had really been more of an inconvenience than an actual threat. Unfortunately his opinion was quite unpopular in the tomb, most of the residents would kill on a whim, it was a good thing that their ruler didn't exactly approve of unwarranted slaughter.

As he muddled over those thoughts, Julia, who now found herself standing behind him, was clearly growing more and more upset. Walking in uninvited and waking the mistress from her slumber was more than enough reason to toss him out but sitting on her bed was a crime in itself. She moved forward to apprehend him but didn't get very far, after taking just one step she received a glare from Shalltear, a silent warning as to what would happen to her if she continued on with her actions.

Again this man's arrogance would be overlooked, and the bride's opinion would suffer the same fate.

"Zesty?"

Shalltear looked back to the man sitting next to her, her question pulling him back from a spiral of negative thoughts as he realized that his habit of giving others nicknames had shown through once again.

"Zesshi, the monochromatic woman with the scythe who tore that palace to shreds back in the Theocracy. I just introduced her to your king a few days back and the consequences have put me in a very harsh situation."

A surprised and questioning look was what he'd hoped and expected to see, instead the look from his "buddy" was just the opposite, annoyance or disappointment, those were the words he'd have used to describe it. A heavy sigh then made its way from Shalltear, the implications of what he just said was enough to make her head hurt.

"Are you serious? Did you really let that freak out to cause trouble?"

Shalltear jumped right past surprised and straight to irritated, knowing first hand just how much trouble they could all be in if Zesshi was allowed to rampage around Nazarick as she had in the Theocracy. This time there were far more people around who were ready and willing to kill such a dangerous intruder but just how much destruction could she cause if left unchecked for even a minute?

"Don't worry about it, I handled her."

Tan took on a more ominous tone, doing his best to convey how unsettling the experience was for him.

"Why'd you let her out in the first place?"

Shalltear glossed right over his emotions and continued to stare at him, crossing her arms like a disappointed mother rather than showing any concern for how he felt.

"Well first of all keeping a ticking time bomb in my shadow is not as safe as it looks, I can still hear and talk to her the whole time."

The look he received for that answer was proof that it wasn't enough to convince her, so he kept going.

"AND I took Ainz on in a one on one."

"And for some reason you thought it was a good idea to set that psychopath free to fuel your ego and flaunt your strength."

And just like that, he was caught.

"Well- no- I just…"

Tan found himself stuttering after being called out, that accusation was extremely accurate and he couldn't think of a counterargument.

"You just...What?"

She wasn't giving him time to think of one either, his only real option was to tell the truth.

"Yeah, I got a bit mad and decided it would be fun to let her out. Stupid, I know, I deserve that look you're giving me."

He laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling after coming clean, he was already feeling bad about the whole ordeal, now he couldn't even defend himself, at least she wasn't holding it against him.

"There's no point in being upset with you, you'll just do it again when the opportunity arises."

Obviously she was right. His unpredictable nature actually made him predictable, as counter intuitive as that was.

"So you said you handled her?"

"A very broad term but yes, I did."

Only now did he receive the puzzled look he'd been hoping for, but now his enthusiasm had already died out, it wasn't any fun to admit to his mistakes, so now Shalltear would have to be the one to push the conversation forward.

"So you actually did fight her."

"If by fight you mean hit her until someone came to restrain me then yes, I fought her."

Shalltear visually cringed at his response and for a moment he thought she might have actually been perturbed at the idea of excessive violence.

"And then?"

"Then I had to stuff her back into my shadow, then I got grounded because Ainz is too busy figuring out how to talk to girls to be worried about someone else like us walking around picking a fight."

That comment only seemed to make the true vampire's uneasiness worse, but for once she would be the one to surprise him.

"I suppose we're in the same boat then."

Now she had his full attention.

"Did you happen to get into an...Altercation?"

"If by altercation you mean hit Albedo until I was restrained then yes, I did."

And at that moment the shame was replaced with glee, this vampire really was his best buddy.

"You know Seashell, I think you just gave me the motivation I needed."

Shalltear then turned slowly, up until now she'd been rather patient but now she was scared, shifting uncomfortably to show it.

"Oh no, what have I done?"

She would regret asking, he was a bit more than motivated now, enough so that he popped up and put his arm around the vampire as if she were his old friend, much to the agitation of her assistant.

"It's simple, since we can't rely on our good friends here in Nazarick to have our backs let's just fast forward Ainz's plans a little bit. If we're going to be evil in everyone else's eyes then we might as well make sure they all feel a bit jealous too, eh?"

Shalltear already saw the incoming disaster and dismissed Julia, no need to pull someone else into the crossfire.

"What could you possibly have planned…?"

"Ainz has to keep associates in points of interest so he won't be out of the loop when it comes to world events, right? This is especially true now that he's set his sights on the Empire, hoping to get a hold on all three major countries before the fighting starts."

That was obvious, the first step to world domination was knowing the world you were in, anyone would know that. She put two and two together quite quickly.

"You want him to trust you with surveying the Empire?"

That was the most obvious answer and honestly it would have been a good plan, no one could argue with an ally who made their jobs easier by forcing another country into submission without fighting a bunch of gangsters or trying to flood the capitol with demons, which was a plan Demiurge never got to fully exploit. Maybe Tan could even push that plan back into motion himself, attacking the empire under the guise of an evil warlord whilst Momon came in to save the day...That sounded amazing.

Unfortunately, the evil looking grin on Tan's face let her know that she couldn't hope for such a rational idea to be his suggestion.

"Survey the Empire? Nah, how about we just take it."

I'm thinking I might start a story for Youjo Senki at some point, either that or Death Note


	34. Into The Grave

Leaving home for Thanksgiving is fun but kind of tedious. I hope it was enjoyable for the rest of you.

Please Enjoy

"And you are certain you wish to come with me?"

The voice of the overlord Ainz Ooal Gown traveled through the night air, breaking the silence he'd been sitting in after he'd emerged from the darkness of a Gate. He'd come back to the Re-Estize Kingdom far sooner than his initial plans would have forced him to for one reason alone.

"Yes."

And she was right in front of him, her reply too simple for even the most scrutinous of men to question.

Just as they'd agreed upon, Ainz arrived seven days after his last talk with Evileye (Waiting for night to fall out of concern for her having a potential daytime weakness), and wasted no time in asking for her official answer to his proposal. To his glee, if you could call the weird satisfaction he felt such a thing, her answer was exactly what he wanted to hear.

Now would come the hard part: Integrating yet another new face into his dysfunctional family.

After the formalities it would take nothing more than another simple trip through a Gate to bring his new ally home. She had very little to take with her. The entire process went smoothly, enough so that Ainz almost considered it a trap and Evileye couldn't help but compare it to a knight whisking her away like a princess in an ancient fairy tale.

 _That was if you could imagine the princess as a vampire who could fell a nation and the knight as a necromancer with the power to…_

She shook her head and cleared those thoughts from her mind, they were distracting and quite frankly far more embarrassing than anything else she found herself wondering about. She had to remind herself that this was still something of a business partnership, not an undead romance novel.

Who would read something like that anyway? Then again the skeleton had indeed shown some level of attachment to her, so maybe it was possible...

The vampire felt her cheeks grow hot and, with a sigh, tucked those feelings away with her fantasies, instead deciding to focus on what awaited the two of them when they finally made it to the other side.

It was a tomb, no surprises there. A tomb that appeared to be a good number of structures lying openly on the surface and a thick wall of grassland covering the walls to camouflage it from the outside. Anyone passing by would likely see it as nothing more than a hill, assuming they saw it at all. How Ainz and his subjects managed to remain hidden all this time suddenly made more sense.

"And this is...Nazarick, you called it?"

She'd been paying full attention to the lecture on his home the last time they spoke but it didn't hurt to show a little more interest.

"Indeed, a great tomb that my companions and I call home."

After hearing that response the vampire simply hummed in acknowledgement, her mind going back to what she could clearly see in front of her. The surface area was impressive and the buildings didn't seem to have degraded much if at all, definitely fitting of a deceased king. But of course the outside was of little concern, it was still a tomb, what really mattered was what was beneath the surface. Ainz told her that there were multiple floors, though he'd intentionally avoided giving any description of them nor tell her how many there were.

If she had to guess there were at least three: One to house his army, one for his "guardians" and the last as his own private quarters, where the final battle would take place should his home be raided by intruders. If she was lucky there would probably be a dark corner she could tuck herself into to avoid unnecessary confrontations, but if not...

 _Where exactly would I go?_

The embarrassing thoughts came back all too quickly as she considered the answer to that question. Assuming the layout was as she imagined she would likely be with the rest of the guardians, but then there was a slight chance that she'd be stuck with Ainz…

She put her hand to her mask, wanting to somehow cover her face even more than it already was. She wouldn't make it if she couldn't keep her imagination in check.

"Are you nervous?"

The lich, having noticed her actions spoke suddenly, his voice shaking Evileye from her speculation. Was she nervous? Yes. She was. But he didn't need to know that.

"If so then it may be best to skip introductions for now and get straight to the business side of things."

Despite how terrifying his voice should've been it still came out as...Gentle. Obviously the vampire couldn't back down.

"No, just curious."

Evileye matched his tone, she didn't think Ainz would use a sign of weakness to gain leverage over her but that was no reason to let her cool facade slip up even more. Their trip to the Theocracy had exposed her enough already.

"I see…"

Ainz gave a slow reply, keeping his gaze on her out of genuine concern. This was as awkward for him as it was for her, that said he was worried that an unforeseen factor might force the vampire to change her mind and that was something he wanted to avoid at all costs. Eventually though, he had to keep moving and so he nodded to her as if satisfied and began walking towards the main entrance of Nazarick.

On the other side of the spectrum Evileye felt quite a bit of relief as she followed him, it was times like this that made her glad that she wore a mask at all times, she was sure that Ainz would have found a fault in her expression otherwise.

 _That was too close..._

These awkward interactions would be just the first of many and the pressure made the vampire want to explode. Pretty concerning considering she hadn't taken a single step into the tomb yet.

Luckily a much needed break in the tension surfaced with the appearance of a new character.

"Hey, was hoping to see you out here."

When they'd finally reached the doors a large man appeared from the darkness, his voice having caught the duo wholly off guard.

"Oh, sorry, did I make things awkward?"

The two undead didn't need to answer, while neither of them were capable of showing any true expression, the way they simply stared at him was enough of an answer.

The new appearance realized this and instantly looked back to Ainz, continuing on with his thoughts before things could get any worse.

"So Ainz I was talking to Seashell awhile ago and I had an idea that I thought I should mention to you. You know being an advisor and all I thought it was smart to tell you about my plans. While I'm not being hounded by Alfredo anyway."

The man spoke again, moving into the moonlight where he could be seen more clearly.

Evileye had to do a double-take. He was...Massive. That was the first word that came to her mind. He was larger than even Ainz who dwarfed most other men, but unlike him this man had the flesh and muscle to accentuate his size even more. And he didn't bother to cover it up either.

"Albedo would not appreciate you calling her that."

Ainz's reaction, as expected, was far more impassive, now of all times was when he least expected his fellow player to come have a serious discussion with him but there was no point in playing dumb in front of Evileye. So he gave a flat reply regarding the nickname for Albedo, ignoring the man's initial statement.

"Yeah, I know, good thing she's not around."

But he seemed not at all bothered with having his idea glossed over, instead the giant turned his attention to the vampire who'd been staring at him intensely since the moment he opened his mouth.

"Yo."

Evileye twitched visibly, unnerved by how casually he spoke to her. She had no idea what 'Yo' meant but she automatically linked it to some form of greeting.

"Hello."

She did a slight bow out of respect, not yet knowing what to make of the person in front of her. She half expected him to simply continue what he'd been saying to Ainz but that hope was misplaced.

"No need to be so stiff, we were comrades in the Theocracy, weren't we?"

Then it clicked, she'd seen someone of his size before and that small bit of information instantly gave away his identity: The suit of red armor that so graciously offered his seat with Ainz to the vampire princess, pulling her along and sitting her in that carriage before she could even come up with a suitable complaint to stop him.

The man who was directly responsible for the closeness the two had forged in so short a time.

Here he was now, not an inch of that armor in sight. His upper body and more importantly, his face now revealed. She took in the details rather quickly, the messy dark hair, permanent scowl etched into his face and of course the one feature she was actually able to recall: The ever so important eyes: Large, orange, beast-like eyes that seemed to glow in contrast to the darkness surrounding him.

Odd...This man was clearly inhuman but nothing aside from his eyes gave it away. He wasn't a vampire like her, obviously, so what was he? Maybe a hybrid race? The look of his eyes were familiar but not enough to place off the top of her head.

 _Too late to worry about that now..._

"Yes...I'm sorry, but your name slips my mind."

There would be a time for questions such as that later, for now she stuck to basic mannerisms, he didn't seem to bear any hostilities and it wasn't as if she could run away if she managed to offend him. To Ainz's dismay, he seemed more than willing to indulge in light banter.

"I didn't really introduce myself at the time anyway. The name's Tan."

The vampire cocked her head slightly to the side.

"Tan…?"

"Is it weird?"

Yes, it definitely was weird but not more so than "Brain" or "Climb". She didn't care to mention them now.

"Simplistic." She replied, forcing the warrior to shift a bit before responding.

"I prefer simplistic, not as tedious to say as the great 'Ainz Ooal Gown' and his seven titles that must be said every time you address him."

Had it not been for her current predicament Evileye may have felt the urge to laugh at his statement but...That was blatant disrespect wasn't it? She thought so and looked to Ainz for just a moment, yet the skeleton simply continued staring at Tan, not giving any indication of how the comment impacted him. It was worrisome but she decided that if he gave no noticeable reaction then it was best that she didn't either.

"I understand, Tan. Please call me Evileye."

"Very cool alias, I haven't been able to think of anything fitting for myself...Ah, I have a habit of giving people nicknames, I hope you don't mind."

His voice sounded far too inviting, like that of an old friend. It was too unsettling. Evileye didn't know much about him but his relaxed posture and casual tone unnerved her far more than the clumsy suit of armor she'd met initially. Anyone who could look Ainz in the eyes (Lights?) and be comfortable with talking to him like he wasn't a big deal was a terrifying individual.

She didn't want to know what kind of man he really was.

"Of course not, thank you for the courtesy."

And that line seemed like more than enough to end the conversation and get that man's attention off of her. He turned back to Ainz enthusiastically, proving again that he wasn't even slightly shaken up by the necromancer's glare.

"That's all I came to say, maybe we should talk about the 'plans' after you give our new friend the grand tour?"

Evileye didn't like the way he phrased that statement but she wasn't willing to risk getting involved in the conversation again.

"Finalize your ideas with Demiurge first, I will not jeopardize anything we've worked on already."

Ainz did not seem amused but gave in regardless, fearing that Tanabe talking for any longer would seriously ruin everything he'd worked for. To support that theory a grin came to the warrior's face right after he'd received permission to have his ideas heard.

"Nice, I'll leave you to it then."

And, with a bow, Tan retreated back into the darkness, seemingly vanishing as quickly as he appeared.

The ensuing silence was to be expected, the skeleton was clearly upset and Evileye was quite shaken up.

From Tan she received the same feeling that she got from Ainz: A presence she couldn't hope to compete with. As if some great and powerful being had descended to live amongst them and no matter how human it seemed there was still a sixth sense that screamed at her to run. What...Was he? No, what were THEY?

That was a question she didn't dare ask

"I apologize for that disturbance...And our companion's attitude, he enjoys making things 'interesting'."

Ainz was the first to speak up once his thoughts were sorted, it was a pain even trying to imagine what ridiculous idea the dragonkin would throw at him next.

"Not at all, at the very least he seemed friendly, I'm glad to have met him sooner rather than later."

And again Evileye gave a response that would make him smile if he had the ability to do so, he was more than grateful that she had the patience and resolve to take such things in stride, it was a welcome respite from servants who took everything he told them as a divine decree.

"Glad to hear it. Then, shall we get going?"

"Of course."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The women Evileye had once associated with were faring no better than the vampire herself was at the moment, in particular Rigrit had found herself in a very difficult situation.

Assassins were not too hard to run into, even less so in a large territory where adventurers and mercenaries were always within arms length, but being stalked WITHIN the territory was a pain, especially when there was more than one.

It didn't take long to realize she was being followed, she it figured out soon after leaving her old friends behind. By who and for what reason she had yet to learn, but there were two and they were distinctly different from one another.

The first was exceedingly good at keeping themselves hidden, the only thing giving them away being a hint of murderous intent every now and again, subtle enough that it felt like a knife was pressed against her back at all times. A warning, not an active threat. She never got a glimpse of this person.

But the other was the exact opposite. Where the first had been subtle and nearly undetectable, the second actively let off their killing intent like a fountain and whenever Rigrit checked to see if she was being followed there was always a robed person in the distance behind her. So obvious...It was almost sickening.

One was warning her and the other openly taunting her, like a twisted game of hide and seek. Were the two connected in some way? Not likely but she didn't rule out the possibility.

 _I'm getting too old for this._

Rigrit sighed, this had gone on for several days now. After realizing that she had no hope in talking her long time friend out of leaving her team behind Rigrit took her interests a bit higher up the totem pole, to the royal family. Being a retired adamantite ranked adventurer herself she had no trouble getting into the palace for an audience, they were after all in dire straits and having a legendary hero around was a good way to lift spirits.

That was when she felt the presence of the First, but at the time she'd chalked it up to a wary guard who just didn't trust her.

Unfortunately that visit had ended with even worse news than she thought: Not only did all the important figures seem deluded into believing that their city was safe, but the only people who seemed to know any better had refused to speak up throughout the entire conversation. Gazef stood tall and proud with little emotion on his face, but a weariness that no amount of sternness would hide, clearly he had seen something that'd put heavy stress on his mind. Aside from him there was only one other person who held the same suspicion, and she'd been glaring at the elderly adventurer since the moment she walked in.

The Golden Princess? Rigrit new better than to fall for that act, those eyes were not that of an innocent young girl, they held a coldness far worse than even that of a heartless assassin, there probably undead with a livelier glare than that. Those were all the signs she needed to abandon hope for the Kingdom, she gave a few of her own thoughts towards strategy and defensive placement then promptly left as quickly as she'd arrived.

And then that's when the second assassin came to light, with a far more imposing presence. And just like that, she became a mouse in a labyrinth.

So how did one stave off the impending danger that loomed over them at a moment's notice? For a veteran like herself the answer was obvious: Play the fool and wait for an opportunity to flush them both out.

She was not so weak as to have any genuine fear of being attacked by a random killer and her experience spoke for itself, all she had to do was continue living normally, not daring to leave the Kingdom and give away where she might've been heading.

The patterns between her stalkers were easy to track: The First kept their distance, watching her throughout the day then leaving at regular intervals for god knows what, then returning again as things got late to watch her briefly before leaving for good.

The Second took things more directly, only appearing every so often but getting closer and closer each time they crossed paths, even going so far as to come within arm's length in a crowded area, an obvious and fruitless attempt to get the elderly woman to overreact and cause a scene. A sick game, that's all it was.

And so Rigrit gave them what they wanted to see, an average old woman going out to see the people, have a calm conversation with old friends, go home for the night when it was still clearly daylight...She hoped they hated the quiet life as much as she did.

Then today, of course, she decided to make her move. She was out for an average evening stroll, making sure it was dark out and that there were few people around. Given the patterns of the First, they would likely be very intrigued to see why she'd break her pattern for a nightly stroll.

And the bait worked perfectly.

Without warning she broke into a sprint at a speed that contradicted what one would expect from someone of her age.

Luring her stalkers out wasn't too hard after that.

She kept running, through alleyways and across roadways with little concern for who might have seen her, coming to a stop only when she was sure there were no longer any civilians around.

She had forced the First to chase her tirelessly, hiding their presence had become out of the question as a result.

"Well now, you don't need to be shy when there's no one out here to see you aside from little old me."

Rigrit spoke out into the night air almost tauntingly. The feeling came again, but there was no one in sight that stood out.

"All alone here, I think I'd pretty convincing target, and oh don't worry, you should know I have no traps set up."

Another callout from the old woman, she saw no pressure in playing the game of cat and mouse on her own terms.

"Well if you insist."

Not to be undeterred by the ruthless accusations of a lowly human, Solution made herself visible. Sebas had strictly told her to remain as a spectator but now that she'd been found out, the smarter option was to simply kidnap Rigrit now before things could get out of hand.

"Pretty for an assassin aren't you?"

Rigrit eyed her stalker closely, this...Was not how she expected the person to look at all. One glance and she could feel that evil aura seeping from the body of the blonde...Maid?

Now there was no doubt, the person before her was definitely inhuman.

"My my. This is a pleasant surprise isn't it?"

She should have expected an eventual appearance from the Second but a sickeningly sweet voice caused her to turn in shock instead.

Ahead of her, coming from an alley a hooded figure approached her, a dagger spinning around their finger like a toy. The second and more aggressive of her stalkers made themselves known first. Having uncharacteristically hid themselves from her perception.

 _Or maybe they were waiting here the whole time._

The thought made her want to scoff, she was already disgusted enough with the thought of being relentlessly hunted by a few mercs who were scared of an old woman, especially when she could still feel an almost inhuman level of bloodlust from the person who stood before her now.

Was this a trap? That thought plagued her mind for quite awhile, for her to be pincered like this when she decided to go out for a run on a whim made her look less experienced and more foolish. Then again it wasn't as if she had much choice, not when they'd refused to make a move until now.

Fortunately, the moment the Solution noticed the outside bloodlust her smile vanished instantly, and Rigrit could tell that her assailants were not familiar with one another.

 _So they are separate…_

That thought was cut off though, her head almost joining it. The few moments she took to understand her situation was enough time for the hooded figure to instantly go for her throat.

She was not fast enough to completely avoid the attack. She would have suffered for her negligence had it not been for Solution's intervention, having closed the same distance herself and stopping the incoming blade with her own.

Rigrit didn't need to die, not yet. Not until Ainz himself proclaimed her as a liability that needed to be removed. And then she'd enjoy the resulting meal.

"Oooh, you're quick, where'd you learn to move like that?"

The hooded figure spoke again, the only thing visible being the sickening grin to match their voice.

Solution didn't respond, instead breaking the stalemate that held them at bay and placing herself between her target and second assassin.

"If you wish to remain living for as little time as you have left then I recommend you stay there and do not attempt escape."

Solutions voice was ice cold, and she ignored the glare she received from the proud adventurer who would have easily claimed that she needed no help.

In the end they were all enemies, but no one would steal her prey, much less another pathetic human.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When invited into the dark lair of a lich who defied all conceivable logic, what would one expect to see?

Legions of undead, decrepit sanctums filled with various traps, horrific creatures sewn together from the unfortunate victims who once stalked it's halls. That was the story any veteran adventurer would likely tell you and to be fair, that would be exactly what you'd see in just about any dungeon inhabited by powerful undead.

Being one of those veteran adventurers, Evileye thought no different.

Most undead weren't particularly fond of company anyway, for what reason should she consider this an exception? More likely than not she was simply walking into a dark crypt, she wouldn't complain though, the gracious host was after all a skeleton overlord, a grand palace wasn't exactly the kind of home she could expect to see.

With that sort of mentality in mind, it should go without saying that Nazarick left her speechless.

First were the floors that actually looked as though they belonged in a tomb, unexpectedly well maintained, but they fit the bill of an undead's headquarters all the same. Then a lake, easily explained away as an underground reservoir, but by the time she stepped foot onto the frozen terrain of the fifth floor she'd found it very difficult to apply a reasonable explanation for her surroundings.

 _An illusion?_

That thought was the first and most reasonable explanation she could give. If what she was seeing was fabricated then...No, mental attacks were typically ineffective on an undead like herself, and even if her vision was being tricked, her other senses were definitely not. Through her equipment she could feel the sickening cold piercing her skin, the icy air prickling her lungs. It couldn't have been an illusion, she would have noticed the signs the signs by now. Furthermore, what would Ainz hope to gain by tricking her in this manner? He had already proven himself to be far too frugal to waste resources in such a way.

No, what she was seeing was very real, but then that brought another serious question to mind: What form of magic could be used to sustain such conditions for long periods of time?

She was still holding onto that thought when they crossed into the next floor: A dense jungle, completely unaffected by the environment they'd left behind. Did that short magical transit truly take them so much further down that the cold wouldn't reach them? Again, she found herself unable to sit on a single thought for long, because even more shockingly than the environment change there was another key factor on this floor that befuddled her even further.

There was a sun. A big round yellow sun hovering in the sky six floors underground.

By now she had become less concerned with how such contradictory environments could coexist and more worried about whether or not she could be sure that she was still within the same "tomb".

Ainz seemed to notice her doubts, giving her what he thought was a simple explanation, that the sun was artificial and that it simulated the day cycle of the outside world. Obviously this explanation was only simple for him and those who understood how the original Yggdrasil worked, for Evileye it only managed to destroy her predetermined outlook on the world and push Ainz further into the "God" column. Such notions would have been ridiculous to her before but what could she really say at that point? He made a sun and stuck it underground like a giant candle. She'd seen her fair share of dungeons with outlandish environments in the past but to believe that everything she was seeing was within the same dungeon…

She decided to simply chalk it up to illusory magic after all, that or some advanced form of alchemy. If she did that then she could at the very least continue to look at the tomb under the lens of logic and rationality.

That was of course until they stepped into the active volcano that was the seventh floor with literal demons walking around like average everyday citizens and well…They were forced to stop the little tour and give Evileye time to rationalize what her life was turning into rather than whether or not what she was seeing was real.

Entering Nazarick for the first time would blow just about anyone's mind really.


End file.
